The Marin Rose
ROSE ARRANGING NO. 2
MAY, 2007
Rosa Roxburghii to the rescue!
By Carolyn Parker
THERE WERE ONLY a few red and magenta rose blooms in my garden when I was asked to make a vibrant arrangement for a friend’s special guest from India. Creating a sumptuous bouquet with the little I had wasn’t a problem, thanks to a magical ingredient used in many of my rose bouquets–the leaves of ROSA ROXBURGHII. It’s also known as THE CHESTNUT ROSE, because its unusual bristly sepals resemble a chestnut’s casing.
This remontant (reblooming) Species rose from China has remarkable leaves. While the leaves of most roses have five to seven leaflets, roxburghii has eleven to fifteen! The additional leaflets add a finely textured, almost fern-like quality that’s gorgeous as a filler in rose bouquets.
Above, in the garden, ROXBURGHII leaves and one bloom, mix with the more conventional YVES PIAGET leaves.
Without R. ROXBURGHII, the blooming rose stems I had to work with would have barely made an impression in the brass vase I wanted to use. Both the vase and the occasion required more volume.
I harvested for the arrangement in two narrow flower buckets. In one bucket went the available roses, and in the other, the leafy branches of R. ROXBURGHII. When it was time to arrange, the leaves filled the vase first forming an ample structure that looked like an arrangement in itself. Adding the roses was pure joy, because the leafy filler allowed the stems to stay exactly where I placed them. This made showing each rose from its prettiest angle easy and fun. In the photo, you’ll notice that the roses pretty much hide the greens, but the lovely leaves peak out here and there.
You might wonder where I acquired such a rose. Twenty years ago, a man dug up a cane from his garden and brought it to sell, in a gallon can, to a Heritage Roses meeting. Little did I know when I purchased it, that it would become such a workhorse, both in the vase, and in the garden.
My ROXBURGHII shrubs grow against fencing in one area of the garden, and against the house in another. Easily pruned (they can reach 15’) to create a fairly flat tapestry effect, they form a wonderful backdrop for other roses. Two shrubs of YVES PIAGET, whose magenta color matches ROXBURGHII'S, grow in front of the one against our house. The blooms are flat with many petals, resembling a hybrid Gallica, and they bloom continuously. If the bark is visible, you’ll notice it peels and looks like cinnamon sticks. Mine has never had a trace of disease.
Over the years, I’ve acquired many treasures like R. ROXBURGHII, through Heritage Roses and their annual Celebration of Old Roses. SCHOENER'S NUTKANA, HAPPENSTANCE, a sport of MERMAID, and a small white Spinosissima are all great filler roses for arrangements, and were purchased from the interesting vendors who bring their wares to this unique, in the world, rose extravaganza. The event takes place each May, the weekend after Mother's Day, in El Cerrito, California.
Click here for an article on hand-tied bouquets.