February is the birth month of America’s two favorite presidents. Both of these great men, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, are connected to roses, both directly and indirectly. Both of these men would have been thrilled when President Ronald Reagan, on October 7, 1986, proclaimed The Rose as the Official National Floral Emblem of the United States.

George Washington

George Washington was born February 22, 1732 at his parents’ plantation on Pope’s Creek in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Landed gentry were educated at home in those days, and young George finished up his studies about the time he was 15. From the time he was a young man, he was always very interested in the land and its conservation. However, all that had to be put on hold for 40+ years while he was involved with creating these wonderful United States.

He was placed in charge of the Virginia Militia during the French and Indian War and was the General in charge of all the colonial troops during the eight years of the Revolutionary War. After the war, at the age of 57, he was elected President after receiving the majority of votes. John Adams, who came in second, became President Washington’s Vice-President. General Washington served two terms as President, from 1789-1797. He then gratefully returned to his plantation, Mount Vernon, to finally become the horticulturist he had always wanted to be.

Back Home

Back in Virginia, he polished his home, built a gorgeous greenhouse, and oversaw planting food and other crops. The unusual thing that he did was to also plant what he called ‘Pleasure Gardens.’ These had flowers of every color and roses that were available at the time. He planted native roses, Old Blush, Eglantine, and Damask roses. At the time, the petals and hips were used for food, plate garnishes, and prized rosewater. According to President Reagan’s proclamation, George hybridized a rose and named it after his mother, the ‘Mary Washington’ rose, a noisette which is still available today. I can picture General Washington enjoying his gardens as much as I do, but his time was short. He contracted a terrible sore throat in the fall of 1799, and he passed to Heaven’s garden on December 14, 1799.

If you wish to honor our first president by planting roses in his honor, ‘General Washington‘ is still available today. It is an old garden rose that was introduced in 1861 by Louis-Xavier Granger. It’s a big, blousy Bourbon rose that gets good sized quartered blooms described as red, but it is really more of a dark magenta. As in many of this type of rose, it is very fragrant and has arching canes that stretch 6-8’.

Abraham Lincoln

Our other February President is Abraham Lincoln. He was born on February 12, 1809. We all know the story of his growing-up. His family was very poor, but his mother saw his intelligence from a very young age and encouraged his learning. He had a great deal of ambition and a good heart. He pulled himself up by his bootstraps and became a good lawyer and had a big interest in politics. After he became the 16th president, we all know of his trials with his family, the awful years of the Civil War with brothers fighting brothers, and the toll all of this took on gentle Abe. Then came the night at the theater. At the age of 56, President Lincoln was assasinated on April 15, 1865. The sadness of this event washed across our country and overseas, as well.

Special Variety

That same year, the Moreau-Robert Nursery of Angers, France, introduced a new rose in honor of the fallen American president. They called it ‘Souvenir du President Lincoln,’ and it is available still. I grow this rose in my garden. It is a very full, quartered bloom with an amazing fragrance. It gets huge, arching canes and sprays blossoms all over like a giant magenta fountain. It’s very hardy in my Connecticut garden, repeats well all season long, and is a lasting tribute to Honest Abe.

And then, too, there is the widely-available rose hybridized by Swim and Weeks known as ‘Mister Lincoln’. It is a tall hybrid tea with long stems and a big bloom. The flowers are a deep, patriotic red and have so much fragrance that one can smell them from across the garden. I have always had it in my garden, and I always think about President Lincoln whenever I’m around it.

I would like to say thank you to these two wonderful men for being here when we needed them the most, and I’d also like to wish a ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ to them both.