The HRG AGM took place this year over the course of 22nd and 23rd of September at the Talbot Hotel in Malton, North Yorkshire. This was the first time for several years that this two-day “mini conference” style of meeting had been held, and alongside the formal business speakers developed the theme of rose conservation
Following the evening meal at the opening of the event, Henry Robinson gave an illustrated talk about the gardens at Moor Wood Farm in Gloucestershire and more particularly the National Collection of rambler roses he had built up there since 1983.
Concerned about the loss of many old rambler roses to gardens and gardeners, Henry’s plan had been to collect all the known varieties of each type before they were gone forever. Inevitably challenges were encountered as some roses are scarce simply because they are less resilient, whilst others have lost popularity but are gems that should not be allowed to disappear.
Henry’s slides showed a selection from his huge collection, and he stressed that the main issue was that these old varieties continue to be grown to ensure their survival. It was evident that his collection was making a significant contribution to that objective.
The lively talk and the discussion which followed confirmed members views on the importance of maintaining old varieties and set the topic for the other presentations.
The subject of conservation was taken up the following day when I spoke about the Scottish & Northern group’s approach to the topic. I reminded members that fashions in plants come and go and that our continued enjoyment of old roses in the gardens we visit is at risk unless organisations like HRG are at the forefront of efforts to conserve older varieties and prevent them becoming mere footnotes in garden history.
For several years now, as well as organising visits, a group of mainly northern members had been taking cuttings from the extensive collection of old roses held by Mrs Rose Foyle at Carolside in the Scottish Borders. Many of these are no longer commercially available and some are now rarely found. One of the principal objectives of this small group has been to try to create a dispersed reserve for some of the rarer varieties there.
With varying degrees of success, propagated roses from the Carolside collections have joined others in members’ gardens, to be enjoyed of course, but also to be available if problems were to arise at Carolside. Over time, however, this conservation initiative has extended beyond Carolside.
The members of this small group have over eight hundred and fifty varieties of old and classic roses spread between their gardens. Information on these roses has been compiled, along with details of the garden location, the type, and form, as well as information relating to breeder and dates of introduction where known. This kind of information is seen as an essential part of any conservation effort to maintain the older varieties. The listing also provides an opportunity for members of the group to exchange cutting material to add to the roses in their own garden and spares of these old roses are offered to other gardens and collections.
This sort of activity potentially increases the reserve of old varieties, and as the members have varied growing conditions this dispersal should improve their conservation chances.
This Scottish & Northern group draws members from a wide geographical area, but the conservation endeavour has helped create a close-knit group and it was hoped that similar groups could be established elsewhere to put the conservation of older and classic roses at the forefront of HRG activity. Not many HRG members will have the room for hundreds of roses, but the meeting was reminded that if each member of HRG could find a home for just one or two commercially unavailable varieties, it could go a long way to ensuring the survival of the plants we claim to love.
Mary Hember continued the discussion of conservation with a timely reminder of the importance of knowing the varieties still held in collections and gardens. She noted that all collections are vulnerable to changes in circumstances and highlighted several important losses in recent years.
With better knowledge of rose collections it should be possible to effect some rescue of old varieties if they became at risk, and so she had been obtaining lists of roses from the many gardens visited over the years. These were now being collated on to a database to form a record that can be consulted.
Like the activities that I have described, the Plant Guardianship scheme run by Plant Heritage was seen as a way for members with space to create small pockets of conservation. Additionally, members offering help and expertise to collections at risk would be another way in which HRG could actively engage in preserving some of the older varieties. Mary believes that local knowledge within regional groups could help to extend the reach of the work related to conservation.
An innovative illustrated presentation about the Bedford Rosarium in the Eastern Cape in South Africa continued the theme of conservation, with founder member Kim van Niekerk present in the room, and Rosarium director Dr. David Comyn speaking from South Africa via an internet link.
Roses in South Africa had been brought to the country in the past by the different waves of European settlers from the early 17th century onwards. This has resulted in an extensive and diverse old-rose heritage, and the talk dealt with the work of Dr Gwen Fagan and the search for these old varieties at farmsteads and old graveyards spread across the whole of South Africa.
The founding of the rosarium at Bedford in a relatively remote part of the country aimed to create a living archive of these old varieties. It had been the result of the dedication and efforts of a small group of enthusiasts and the good fortune of having a generous and interested donor for the site of the rosarium.
As well as providing a beautiful home for old roses, the rosarium trust propagates and sells old varieties of roses and now promotes a range of special days for the public. In addition to showing old roses flourishing in the potentially difficult climate and providing plants for the public to purchase, one of the objectives is to provide stock for replenishing or renewing old rose gardens across the country.
This is a relatively young enterprise but serves as an exemplar of conservation in action and shows what can be achieved by small groups of enthusiastic rose lovers. These talks demonstrated the variety of ways in which groups like HRG can pursue our interest in conserving the older varieties of roses and hopefully stimulate further ideas and development.
John West