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The OldTexas Rose

Number Four Fall 2003

Texas Rose Rustlers2003 Fall Cutting Exchange

Sept. 27-28,2003Harris Co. Ag. Extension Service,

# 2 Abercrombie Drive,Houston, TX 77084

(Near Texas Hwy. 6 N. @ Patterson Rd.)

Our cutting exchange has had some extrapizzazz added this year. We have included enticingactivities that should make it well worth the driveinto Houston.

Early birds who come Sat. at 8 a.m. will get totake advantage of the Harris Co. Master Gardener'sFall Plant Sale! At 10:30, we'll conduct our rosecutting exchange. This is a great chance to share ortrade clippings from our own antique roses. Pleasebring your cuttings in separately-marked bags, andcome prepared with paper towels, resealable plasticbags, water, & permanent markers to mark whatyou take home to root. A small cooler or ice chestto keep the cuttings chilled until you reach home isalso recommended. The full itinerary is provided atthe end of this article. Hotel info: A block of roomshas been reserved at La Quinta Inn, 15225 1-10,Houston, TX 77094. Phone: 281-646-9200. Tellthem you are with the Texas Rose Rustlers group.

www.texas.rose.rustler.com

Fall 2003 Cutting ExchangeSchedule of Events:

Sat., Sept. 27

8:00 Harris Co. Ext. Service Fall Plant Sale.Select from their own-rooted antique roses for $12apiece, and other plants as well.10:30 - Cutting Exchange11:30 - "Feeding for Better Blooms" and ''RosePropagation", by Clyde Cannon, Master Gardenerinstructor.Rose Lotto, followed by:12:30 - Lunch on site. Bring a sack lunch & drinkto enjoy on the grounds of the extension center ORjoin the group who orders lunch delivered to BearCreek. Please bring chairs to use today.1:30 - Mr. Cannon gives a tour of the gardenstended by Master Gardeners at the Center.2:30 - Leave for Enchanted Forest, a uniquenursery we will tour; at 10611 FM 2759, Richmond,

.TX.6:00 - Group dinner at Los Cucos MexicanRestaurant/ go W. on Clay Rd. at Hwy. 6 to Jura St./281-859-3897.

(Changes may need to be made as time permits.)

This really happened ...it's a true story.By Audrey McMurray

You can believe it or not, but those of youwho know me know that I'm not given to fits ofdelusion. And on my grandmother Mimi's grave, Iswear it really took place.

Last fall I had promised a friend I would tryto start some Mrs. B. R. Cant cuttings from aplanting of bushes near our local library. It wasn'tuntil January that I had time to secure the church'spermission and drive over there with my baggies,paper towels, etc. It was very early, about 6:30am,and the sun was up just enough to start turning thenight's cold fog into a cool, misty morning.

Usually I love that time of day, wheneverything is quiet and no one is around to botherme, and since I had the church's permission, I feltcomfortable taking the cuttings. So I can't reallytell you why, but for some reason, I feltapprehensive as I snipped the cuttings. Theatmosphere was heavy but I just figured it was dueto the high humidity.

I took the cuttings back to the car,opened the back door and startedto wrap them in paper towels,when someone ran up behind me andstopped just short of plowing into myback. I turned around to face myattacker and ... no one was there. I turnedback to my cuttings, talking myself out ofpanicking, when again, someone ran up behindme and stopped literally an inch from my back. Icould feel "him" at the back of my neck. I wheeledaround, mad now, ready to introduce my knee to hisfamily plans and ... no one was there.

Adrenalin makes a person do odd things. Ilost my temper and started yelling as if to one of myerrant students. "STOP THAT THIS MINUTE!For your information, I have PERMISSION to behere! When you rush at me like that y'like to giveme a HEART ATTACK. Now BACK OFF!""He" backed off.

A thought occurred on the way home ... Welove to visit cemeteries, right? Should our rustlingetiquette include loudly "mentioning" to each otherthat we're there to save the roses, not steal them?

~!~~d we ma::e~::'sto _ ~ " ~ •permission? ~ "0 T!9

ABC RustlingBy Francis Brandes

Names of towns such as; Brenham,Bastrop, Boerne, Burton, Crosby, Corsicana, CenterPoint, Conroe, Caldwell, College Station,Columbus, Dime Box, Dallas, Dayton, Edna, Egypt,Fredericksburg, Fayetteville, Fort Worth, Gay Hill,Gonzales, Giddings, Galveston, Huffman, Houston,Industry, Independence, La Grange, La Porte,Liberty Hill, Livingston, La Vernia, Marble Falls,Marion, New Braunfels, Navasota, New Ulm,Orange, Pasadena, Port Lavaca, Plano, SanAntonio, San Felipe, Saratoga, Sequin,Schulenburg, San Marcos, Thornton, Victoria,Wallis, Weimar and Waco. And these are just afew!

Marion and I used to travel all over Texasin search of old roses. We began to help organizerustles in the late 80's and early 90's. On many ofthese rustles, we found roses that were not yet incommerce or were found roses such as; "San FelipeWhite Noisette", "Schulenburg Apricot", "290 PinkButtons", Tip-Top, "Caldwell Pink", Echo, "Joe'sRose", "Margaret's Rose", Texas Centennial,Golden Salmon, Fun Juan Lo (root stock), Dr. Huey(root stock), Mother's Day, Pink Rosette, Porn-Pornde Paris, Betty Prior (still in commerce but rare),Gartendirektor Otto Linne (also in commerce butrare). Many hybrid Chinas. Many lost Polyanthasand Hermosa, a pink China. Hermosa was found ina cemetery in Marble Falls. "Joe's Rose" was foundin St. Rose of Lima, Catholic cemetery inSchulenburg on a rustle. It was a Poly-Tea, softpink and very pretty. It no longer exists because ofdroughts and floods through the years.

"Margaret's Rose" was found in NewBraunfels on a rustle. It is a large pink Tea with alarge green knotted center, slightly fragrant. I tooka picture of Margaret beside her rose, had it blownup to life-size, and we presented the picture to her atour fall cutting exchange in New UIm, Industry,TX. November of 1990. "San Felipe WhiteNoisette" was all over San Felipe and surroundingtowns. The most interesting way we saw it beinggrown was on an old bed iron headboard in thefamily's yard we visited. Tip-Top, is a three coloredPolyantha in the Victoria Evergreen Cemetery. It isfrom 1909, not very hardy, but very pretty and

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Some of the Classic Old Roses: Tales of EarlyRustling DaysBy Pamela Ashworth Puryear

It is observable yet. All one must do issneak up behind me and whisper, "red China" in myear. This causes a strong shudder from my feet; Iclose my eyes tight and scream, ''No!!!'' ThisPavlovian response is from years of frustratedsearching of old nursery lists to be able to separateSlater's Crimson China from Cramoisi Superieurfrom Louis Philippe from R. Sanguinen and RosaChinensis Semperflorens. It got so bad that on earlyrustles, I would tromp over ~y such, while loudlyproclaiming, "Where?" My+Sanguineous RosialSyndrome caught up with me several years agowhen Mike generously offered "Martha Gonzales"in pots at a function. I was forced to confess thatJoe Woodard was the one who took cutting I saw itback in commerce. My role was to plead with himto ignore the thing!

The only light on this perturbing questionwas shed by Peter Schaar from Dallas, who said thatCramoisi was the only one with a climbing form. Ifyou grew that, you could pick out the bustCramoisi.

Liz Druitt airily suggested simple to lumpthem all together as "Louis Superieur" there beingha'pennier difference between them anyway!

Almost in the same phobic category is theYellow Tea. Marehcal Neil is so distinct as not tofall into this cause celebre, but Perle des Jardins,Paul's Lemon Pillar, Lady Hillington, Marie VanHoutte, myriad Tea-ish Noisettes like, CelineForestier, Jaune Desprez are another Bone ofContention.

All of the yellow Teas we collected in theearly days seemed so ephemeral. "Amy Powell",named for my cousin, is growing on the west side ofher house, is a case in point: It was pale yellow anddistinctly quartered. To this day I don't know whatit was. No one rooted it, and Amy's original diedafter she moved. All that's left is a few slides withquestion marks on them!

Mrs. Abersteeni from Bryan had a hotbed ofyellow Teas, but when the long line of Rustlersconveyed on her house, she refused to talk to us.(We would, I admit, have scared anybody.) But Isent Tom Christopher with snippers around the sideof the house, not for Marechal Neil (she had three)

but what "I'd taken to be" Paul's Lemon Pillar.Well, you know rustles, those cuttings evaporated,and all my scheming was in vain. Greg Grant latergot cuttings of Marechal Neil that hadn't been incommerce. Those plants were more scented andmore vigorous, but still not ''up to" what it wasoriginally.

The other classic yellow Tea site was anelderly lady's house on the west side of Brenham.Her name was Emma Renz. There was a big rosebush on the east side and one on the west, so theirstudy names were "East Emma" and "West Emma"and both were something special. I think BillWelch determined that "West Emma" was probablyPerle des Jardins because the buds were urn-shapedand straw yellow. I have a Gone with the Windlamp whose original shade was broken and a ladycousin painted a replacement of what I've taken tobe Perle for the same reasons. As Perle wasintroduced in 1874, this would've certainly been theright time frame.

We never knew what "East Emma" was, andthe next time I passed by there, the bush was gone.How many times has this happened to all of us?

Now that I have spoken of my Syndrome,we can get down to those roses I count among theRustler's greatest successes.

To Bill Welch belongs the "Maggie" of loveand legend. Doggone, once you grew - or even saw- one "Maggie" you spotted it all over the map. Itscolor varies the most of any rose, even the "gray"Gallicas. (I finally named it to myself as RaspberryIce!) Its foliage is also distinctive and one canreally tell its contribution to "Blaze." Also with theChina descendants is the smell of black pepper onthe pedicel, an odd thing to mix with the rose attarsmell of flowers. But "Maggie's" greatest claim isits survivability. Its seed sister (according toKrussman) Gruss an Teplitz, takes a lot morefussing through the hot summers than "Maggie."

The first rose we collected was Old Blush.Still, nothing can beat her for sheer bloom andgarden display. She came from the Odd FellowCemetery in Anderson-where there is no pipedwater! A hundred years on that hill should provesomething! !!

I found the storied "Pam's Pink" in a trailerpark on the north side of Navasota. It, too, is suchan individual as to never be mistaken. We saw itagain in front of an abandoned house in North

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Zulch. The reflexing petals are a giveaway, All theChinas darken instead of fade in strong sunlight, soPP's outer petals get darker ''pencils'' of rose as theyear goes on.

Bill was just talking this week about drivingdown the street at East Columbia, and seeing theclimbing Rosa Fortuniana (1845) still on the porchof the Ammon Underwood house there. I alwayshad a ''thing'' for Robert Fortune. (He had a dimpleon his chin.) Fortune is renowned for hisexpeditions to China and Japan in the 1840's and1850's, where among otherbotanical goodies; hediscovered Fortune's Double Yellow (R.pseudo indica) and R. anemoveflora.

Often the people are what one remembersfrom the early rustles. I treasure the picture ofMargaret Sharpe whopping the battery of our stalledcar with her shoe-of course, it ran perfectlythereafter. I recall the soggy cucumber sandwichesfrom the car trunk served to Joe Woodard andBuddy Harrison at a filling station in the dark andrain in Sealy-after a hurricane! The rose ownerswere so generous ...

Mrs. Carl Meyer was my favorite. She livedamid a veritable bower on the north side ofBrenham. It was she, we got "KronprinzessinViktoria" (1888) from-one of which reverted backto "Souvenir de la Malmaison" to prove the point.Mike Shoup put the "half-and-half' bush in theplace of honor at the Hairston cottage garden whenthey opened there in 1984.

But Mrs. Meyer had so many otherfascinating things. She grew "Aloha", which is myvote for just about the only Hybrid Tea. "CecileBrunner" scaled an elm tree and fell back down tosubmerge her garage!

I also remember fondly those folk-perhapsdisbelieving-who came from afar to rustle with us."Ink" Mendelsohn from the Smithsonian left manygood friends in Texas. Her husband really got inthe spirit and wore an Aggie cap during his sojourn.Ton Christopher and wife, Suzanne, O'Connellwere our long term favorites. I don't know howTom considers his book, In Search of Old Roses,now he has covered himself with horticulturalglories "back east", but we all feel he will alwaysbelong a little to the Rustlers!

Another "old hand" was Tommy Adams,who worked for Mike as a propagator. I have to tell

DR2 meeting in Austin, but I took the time to cruiseall the little towns along the way. In front of aruined house on a back street in Paige was awonderful, light pink rose. So I left cuttings inIndependence on my way home. The next time Icalled over there, Tommy asked where I had gottenthe cuttings and I told him. He said he didn't needthem. I bristled all up to defend my orphan when hecontinued, "Because I already have the same thingunder mist. I must have been within an hour of youwhen I got mine!" Thus it was that, that rose wasstudy named "Eloise Adams" for Tom's mother andproved to be none other than "Clotilde Soupert!"

~Pamela Ashworth Puryear

Almanac Dates... From Blum's Farmer's and Planter's Almanacfor the Year 2003

For rooting all cuttings:Oct: 12, 13, 17, 18,23,24Nov: 9, 13, 14, 19,20,21,22Dec: 10, 11, 17, 18, 19,20For transplanting rooted cuttings & potted roses:Oct: 25,26,29, 30Nov: 26,27Dee: 23,24,28, 29Pruning for increased blooming:Oct: 17, 18,23,24Nov: 13, 14,21,22Dec: 10, 11, 19,20

***Remember fall is an excellent time to move ortransplant your roses, create new beds and mulch.Of course, we southerners can "show off" with abeautiful bouquet of roses as the Christmas dinnercenterpiece, but after that let your roses enjoy apeaceful winter slumber.

The following is a list of roses that will be for saleat the Harris County Extension sale. The plant saleis from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. The roses are in fivegallon pots, and I've heard they are beautiful. Theprice is, get this folks, only $12 each, with theexception of the Red Cascade, which is $10. Alongwith these roses, there will be a large assortment ofperennials, unusual/ hard-to-find plants and herbs.

also having a free Symposium from 10:00 a.m. -1:00 p.rn. For many of you die-hard gardeners whomay want to skip lunch, you may be interested intheir programming, which I've listed below.

AlohaAmazoneBallerinaBasye's BlueberryBuff BeautyCaldwell PinkChestnut RoseCL. Old BlushCramoisi SuperieurDortmundDucherDuchesse de BrabantHighway 290 Pink ButtonsKaty Road PinkLindeeLouis PhilippeMadame Joseph SchwartzMaggieMarie Pavie'Martha GonzalesMrs. B.R. CantMrs. Dudley CrossMrs. R.M. FinchNearly WildNew DawnPenelopeRed CascadeRev d OrSlater's Crimson ChinaSwamp RoseThe FairyUlrich Brunner Fils

10 a.m. 'Attracting Butterflies andHummingbirds' -Given by J. Kolenovsky, GCTMN

11 a.m. 'Healthy Soil' -Given by RayWallace, GCTMN, HCMGA

12 p.m. 'Devil's Darning Needles & SnakeDoctors-Dragonflies & Damselflies' -Given byKaren Breneman, GCTMN, HCMGAWe had a request to list all of the Officer's emailaddresses.

Audrey McMurray - Chairmanjamac80@Yaohoo.com

Doana Fite - Program Chairmandoanaf@aol.com

Ursula White - CO-Program ChairmanUrsula W@evl.net

Virginia Sissom - Secretaryrosebandita@yahoo.com

Gladys Cronquist - Treasurer / Membershipgladyscron@hotmail.com

Candy Fite - Editorqueenorosa@yahoo.com

If you're address label is highlighted, this will beyour last issue. You're membership date will be onthe bottom right comer of the label. If it says

~ "W2004", you're last issue will be theWinter '04 issue. For your convenience, please

use this renewal form and mail it to GladysCronquist at 9730 Harrowgate, Houston, TX 77031.

The Old Texas RoseNewsletter of The Texas Rose Rustlers

Name ---------------------------------

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Membership / Subscription is $10 yearly. Makechecks or money orders payable to: Texas RoseRustlers and mail to Gladys Cronquist, 9730Harrowgate, Houston, TX 77031.

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The Texas Rose R.us"tlersc/o ~s. Candy Fite8020 FJV12502 c

Brenhar:n, TX 77833

Chair.tn.anProgram ChairII1.anCo-Progra:rn Chair.Secret:aryTreas'! JVle.Dl.bershipEditor - OTR."W'ebrnast:er

First Class lVIan

Texas Rose Rus1:lers Board lVJ:en:J.bers

1\.-:1rs#Audrey lVlcJVlurraylVlrs. Doana Fit:e.Mrs. Ursula ""'bit:e.IVJ.rs.Virginia Sissom.lVlrs. Gladys Cronquist:JVlrs. Candy Fit:elVlr. Joseph Cooper

-Welcorn.ing COlIl.J:I1ittee

11031 Dunlap Dr., Houst:on, TX 770961715 Lake Geneva Ct:., HOUSt:Oll, TX 7708412103 Atvvell, Houston. TX 7703511615 VVolf R.un Ln., Houston, TX 770659730 Harrovvgat:e,. Houst:on" TX 770318020 FlVl 2502, Brenha:rn,.TX 77833

713-729-5307281-398-8210713-723-9217281-955-2599281-498-1488979-277-9335

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