Mr. Jefferson’s Roses

October 20, 2017 by Becky Lower

For anyone who loves flowers, roses, orchards and a great vegetable garden, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, VA is a destination to put on your To-Do list. The house itself is brimming with history, which you can almost feel as you enter the great hall where guests waited for their audience with Thomas Jefferson.

The main hall at Monticello

Today, the estate is thriving as a historical landmark, and the gardens having been painstakingly brought back to life by the Garden Club of Virginia after they almost completely disappeared following Jefferson’s death in 1826. Fortunately, Jefferson was a man of letters, and kept copious notes on his gardens and the proposed winding walkways. Between the sketches and the depressions that were found in the yards, the Garden Club worked tirelessly to bring the grounds back to what they must have looked like when Jefferson resided there. Letters and documents of sale between Jefferson and Bernard McMahon reveal the extent of Jefferson’s interest in horticulture. Not only were seeds sent from McMahon’s nursery in Philadelphia, but also from Europe each season.

Every time I visited Monticello, I was drawn to the many varieties of roses that dotted the landscape. My most recent Regency romance evolves around one of Mr. Jefferson’s landscapers who travels to England to buy some of the many roses needed for the grounds. Between the outer double border parallel to the fence, the inner border next to the boxwoods and the northwest corner of the nursery, there were nearly 100 varieties of roses planted. I used the list of roses in the various beds at Monticello as a sort of laundry list that my hero ordered and arranged from the entirely fictional Mulberry Hill nursery in England.

Today, most of the roses that are planted on Monticello property come from the Tufton farm, one of Jefferson’s outlying farms that adjoins the Monticello plantation. The Leonie Bell Garden was made possible by a grant from Louis Bell in memory of his wife. During her lifetime Mrs. Bell spent years researching roses, giving lectures and writing articles on her preferred topic. Her book, The Fragrant Year, 1967,

which she also illustrated, is considered a landmark work. The planting list at the Garden today contains over 100 species of roses, dating from the 1500s. The garden tells the story of rose breeding and cultivation.

Most early roses in America were imported from Europe and, although beautiful and sweet-smelling, had a limited amount of bloom time in the spring. It was not until the late 1700s that China roses were discovered by both sides of the Atlantic. These Chinese roses were not as pungent as their European counterparts, but they bloomed multiple times during a season. One of the early Chinese varieties is called Old Blush, a hardy pink rose. Today, many hybrids between the European and Chinese roses exist, and, if one plants in a judicious fashion, blooms can be found in any garden from spring to the start of winter.

   

Léonie Bell Rose Garden Planting List

 

 

 

BED I	Intro Date	Type	History	Description
Aimée Vibert	1828	Noisette	Sport of Vibert’s 1828 introduction	white
Aimée Vibert Scandens	1841	Noisette	climbing sport of Aimee Vibert. Curtis, intro.	white
Archduke Charles	pre 1840	China	Laffay, breeder.	rose pink w/ cherry edge, dble
Buff Beauty	1939	Hybrid Musk	Bentall, breeder.	Apricot-buff, dble, Climber
Camellia Rose	c. 1830	Noisette	Prevost, breeder.	rose pink tinted lilac
Cécile Brünner	1880s	Polyantha	cross w/ Mme. De Tartas; aka ‘Rita Sammons’	pale pink form
Cécile Brünner, Deep Rose	1941	Polyantha	Howard Rose Co, intro.	sport of CB with deep rose base
Cécile Brünner, White	1909	Polyantha	Fraque, breeder. original sweetheart rose.	creamy white w/ lemon base
Elizabeth Navorro	n/a	Polyantha?	(source R. Moore via D. Seidel)	tiny pink
Faded Pink Monthly	n/a	Noisette	pre-Civil War rose found by Mrs. Keays
“Hollywood Pink Cluster”	n/a	Noisette	found in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA	pale pink form
Mary Washington	n/a	Noisette	old form, grown at Mt. Vernon 100+ yrs	off white touched w/ pink
Miss Lowe’s Crimson China	pre 1887	China	close to wild form	crimson
Narrow Waters	1883	Musk	sport of Nastarana	blush pink
Nastarana	1879	Musk	Middle Eastern cv. introduced from Iran	white
Oakington Ruby	1933	China	discovered by C. R. Bloom (U.K.)	crimson w/ white cntr. miniature
Old Blush	1752	China	male Noisette parent, c. 1000 AD in China	rose red, semi-double, shrub
Old Blush, CL	n/a	China	climbing form of Old Blush
Old Gay Hill Red	found	China	near Affleck nursery, O. G. Hill, TX (Welch)	deep red semi double
Prudence Roeser	1840	Hyb. Perpetual	Roeser, breeder (France)	pink blend
Rosa roulettii	1800	China	miniature, Canton; re-discovered, Switzerland	deep red semi double
Seven Sisters	1817	Rambler	early multiflora hybrid	rose pink, variable, fully double
Single Moss Rose	n/a	Centifolia	very rare, single for of 18th c centifolia	rose pink
Single Pink China	ancient	China	likely the wild type from China	rose pink
“WalMart Noisette”	n/a	Noisette	found outside Walmart in Florida	medium pink, double
BED II
Alister Stella Gray	1894	Tea-Noisette	Alexander Hill Gray breeder	pale yellow w/ orange centers
Aunt Louisa	n/a	Noisette	fr. Pres. Garfield’s Aunt Louisa’s garden	pale pink, double
Bremo Musk	n/a	Musk	found at Bremo Recess; documented ca 1815	dble & semi-dble white
Caroline Marniesse	1848	Noisette	Roeser, breeder.	white, double
Cramoisi Supérieur	1832	China	aka Agrippina; South TX	rich crimson, dble, cupped
Crepuscule	1904	Tea-Noisette	Dubreuil, breeder	golden orange, fading to apricot
Ducher	1869	China	Ducher intro.	pure white, cupped, semi-dble
Duchesse de Brabant	1857	Bourbon-Tea	favorite boutonniere of Teddy Roosevelt	pink, fully double
Elizabeth Navarro	2001	Polyantha	Robt. B Martin Jr, breeder (U.S.)	light pink
Fabvier	1832	China	Laffay, breeder	cherry rose-red paling to pink
“Gore Noisette”	n/a	Noisette	Edgehill Cemetery in Charles Town, WV
Marie Pavié	1888	Noisette	seedling of older Noisette; Algatiere, breeder	pale pink to white; semi-dble
Mrs. Wood’s Lavender	n/a	Noisette
“Mt. Vernon Purple”	n/a	Noisette	syn. Mrs. Wood’s Lavender-Pink	cerise, dble
Musk Rose, Single	ca. 1540	Musk	original species-Eur. – Middle East	pure white, single flower
Old Gay Hill Red	n/a	China	Found in Old Gay Hill, TX	cherry red, lemon heart, semi-db
“Placerville White Noisette”	n/a	Noisette	found in Placerville Union Cemetery,	very double white
“Prestwould Yellow”	n/a	n/a	found at Prestwould Plantation	creamy yellow, dble
Princesse de Nassau	pre 1835	Musk-Noisette	Laffay, breeder	soft pink-cream, dble, cupped
Rêve d’Or	1869	Tea-Noisette	Ducher intro.	golden yellow, shaded apricot
Rose Edouard	1821	Bourbon	Perichon/Neumann, breeders. Origin-India	bright rose pink
“Washington Noisette”	ca. late 1800s	Noisette	Charles Town, WV churchyard, Ella M & Louis Wm. Washington
Zéphirine Drouhin	1868	Bourbon	Bizot, breeder.	bright pink-cerise, dble
BED III
Archduke Charles	pre 1840	China	Laffay, breeder.	rose pink w/ cherry edge, dble
Bouquet Tout Fait	pre 1836	Noisette	Laffay, breeder.
“Cato’s Pink Cluster”	n/a	Noisette	From Carl Cato’s collection	pink clusters
Cécile Brünner, CL	1894	Polyantha	Hosp, breeder. Original sweetheart rose	blush pink climber
Comtesse du Cayla	1902	China	Guillot, breeder. Mutabilis form	apricot-buff; lt crimson
“Cross Manor Noisette”	n/a	Noisette	Kopel home in Calvert Co. MD.
Fellenberg	1835	China Noisette	Tea/China/Noisette hybrid	bright crimson-magenta, dble
“Fisher Noisette”	n/a	Noisette	Thornrose Cemetery, Staunton, VA (syn. Bouquet Tout Fait)
Jaune Desprez	1830	Tea-Noisette	Desprez/Sisley breeders.	apricot-buff pompons w/ eye
Jean Bach Sisley	1898	China-Tea	Francis Dubreuil (Fr.) China/Bengale	silvery pink, glossy foliage
Le Vésuve	1825	China hybrid	Laffay, breeder. X bourbon, Tea.	lilac pink shades
Léonie Lamesch	1899	Polyantha hybrid	Noisette x polyantha. Lambert, breeder.	dark salmon pink; double
“Lingo Musk”	N/A	Noisette	found.	blush pink w/ rose edges
Louise Philippe	1834	China	Guerin, breeder.	crimson, dble
“Maggie Kyle”	found	Noisette	aka ‘Bouquet Tout Fait’
Mme. Laurette Messimy	1887	China-Tea	Guillot, breeder (France)	salmon pink; semi-double
Napoleon		Noisette
“Natchitoches Noisette”	early 1800s	Noisette	found in Natchitoches, LA cemetery by Welch	pink blend, semi-dble, cupped
Perle des Jardins	1874	Tea	Levet, France	double yellow
Perle d’Or	1884	Tea Polyantha	similar to Cecile Brunner; Rambaux bred 1875	golden pink buds to yellow
Pink Joy	1953	Noisette	(source: Ralph Moore, CA via D. Seidel)	Miniature, pink
“Redouté Red”	n/a	China	study name for rose still found in Charleston, SC
Rubens	1859	Tea	M. Robert (France)	white blend, pink shading
“Ruth’s Tiny Polyantha”	n/a	Polyantha	found by Ruth Knopf
“Ruth’s Wavy Leaf Noisette”	n/a	Noisette	Ruth Knopf, found, Charleston, SC	pale pink
Slater’s Crimson China	1792	China (stud)	R. indica semperflorens; to England by Slater	dble deep red, low growing
Spice	n/a	Tea	China possibly intro to Eur. In early 1700s	satiny cream & pink, dble
“Temple Musk”	n/a	Musk	found, Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA	fully double white
“Tufton Musk Seedling”	found	Musk	single musk x ‘Rambling Rector’ Multiflora rambler
White Pet	1879	Polyantha	discovered by Peter Henderson (U.S.)	white blend
BED IV
Belle Vichyssoise	1858/1895	Noisette	Bred by Moreau–‘Cornelie’; intro by Lévêque	lt. pink clusters, dble
Blush Noisette	1814	Noisette	Philippe Noisette seedling from Champneys’	light pink, fully double
Bouganville	1822	Noisette	Vibert, breeder.	rose pink, quilled petals
Céline Forestier	1842	Tea-Noisette	Trouillard, breeder	clear yellow w/ apricot, dble
Champneys’ Pink Cluster	1802-1811	Noisette	First Noisette; John Champneys, Charleston, SC	light pink, clusters
Clotilde Soupert, CL	1902 sport	Polyantha	similar to Bourbon roses	white w/ pale pink center, dble
Common Pink China	1804	China	first ‘Old Blush’ seedling sold in Paris
Cramoisi Supérieur	1832	China	aka Agrippina; South TX	rich crimson, dble, cupped
Creole Mme. Desprez	n/a	Noisette	found
Fellenberg	1835	China Noisette	Tea/China/Noisette hybrid	bright crimson-magenta, dble
Fewell’s Noisette	n/a	Noisette	found.	blush pink; reddish canes
Gilbert Nabonnand	1888	Tea	Nabonnand, breeder (France)	large buff pink fls.
Green Rose	pre-1845	China	R. chinensis ‘Viridiflora’- may date mid 1700s	“petals” are green sepals
Hermosa	1840	China	Marchesseau, France.	Fully double, rose pink
“Hollywood Pink Cluster”	n/a	Noisette	found in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA	pale pink
La Biche	1832	Tea Noisette	M. Robert (France) syn. Mme de Sombreuil	white, salmon-pink shading
Le Pactole	1841	Tea	Meilleze, breeder	light yellow
Marie Daly	modern	Polyantha	selected sport of Marie Pavié	medium pink, thornless
Mme. Alfred Carriére	1879	Noisette	Schwartz, France	fully double, white
Rival de Paestum	1841	Tea China	Beluze, breeder	creamy white; mahogany foliage
“Ruth’s Pink Musk”	n/a	Musk	found by Ruth Knopf, Chaleston, SC
“St. Leonard’s Noisette”	n/a	Noisette	sold as ‘Jean D’Arc’; Keays find in Calvert Co. MD
Wilmott’s Crimson China	1792	China	aka White Pearl in Red Dragon’s Mouth	bright red, dble, miniature

https://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/rose-border

https://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/flower-gardens-monticello-today

https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/tufton

https://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/china-rose-revolution

 

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