Last holiday of summer

Labor Day was the last federal holiday of summer. The day in which no one is supposed to be working. But, here I find myself in front of the computer diligently creating postcards for a mailing. A mailing that needs to go out tomorrow. Just another half hour or so to go, and they’ll be done and ready for delivery later this week. Then I’m off to go home and enjoy what’s left of the weekend.

Labor Day is often considered to be the unofficial end of summer here in Rhode Island. The beaches close the day after Labor Day. Nighttime temperatures also start getting lower and lower as the days become shorter and shorter in September.

Two days ago, my wife, son, and I went to the Woodstock Fair for our annual pilgrimage at this Labor Day weekend mainstay. Farming, livestock, and harvested fruits and vegetables from local farms abound here. The crowds and number of exhibits/exhibitors were definitely down this year. But, at least the fair was back up and running.

Entering my own exhibits

In the past, I have entered cut roses in the agriculture section of the fair and done well. I have also entered pictures of my roses, as well as a picture of my son holding roses in one hand and making a karate-chop defensive maneuver with the other. (He was very young at the time, and apparently defending the roses that he was holding). I have won a couple of the photographic classes that these pictures were entered.

Mother Nature preparing for winter naps and annual migrations

Seeing all of the ripened fruits and vegetables at the fair has reminded me of the time of the year that it is. The end of summer and early fall is when Mother Nature starts getting her furry and feathered friends ready for their winter naps and annual migrations. She ripens the fruits on most of her plants now. She entices her furry and feathered friends to take the fruits (and the seeds hidden within) as part of their preparations. Roses are no exception to this annual harvest, and I find that the hips on the species roses are among the first to ripen in my garden.

Mother Nature, her perfect balance, and alien species

Mother Nature (if left alone) creates a perfect world where plants and animals live in harmony. The different species in the plant and animal kingdoms co-exist and create an idyllic Garden of Eden. Mother Nature has checks and balances put in place in her garden. Nothing usually upsets her perfect balance, until mankind steps in and introduces alien species. When alien species are introduced, there often are no natural predators available to put the eco-system back in balance. There are hundreds of species that have been released by mankind. He has done so (both willingly and unwillingly) in many eco-systems for millennia.

The rose is not immune to mankind’s releasing of alien species in Mother Nature’s eco-systems. During harvest time, Mother Nature’s hungry furry and feathered friends spread these alien species far and wide. This process is called naturalization of a species. The alien species and the natural species later compete for resources often making it more difficult for native species to compete.

Found naturalized rose species – R. canina

Here in New England, we have quite a few alien rose species that have been naturalized. I have found quite a few growing alongside the native species roses. R. canina is native to Europe, and has been used as an understock for many years in Canada and Europe. There have been quite a few roses that have been budded on R. canina through the years.

When a rose that is budded on R. canina dies, the understock often takes over. When R. canina is allowed to flower and set seed, it sets bright orange hips ready for the taking. Mother Nature’s furry and feathered friends eat the fruit and the seeds within. Once they have digested the fruit portion of the hips, they excrete the seeds in a neatly-packed bundle of fertilizer ready for a new plant or two to start life again somewhere else. After a few years, the process is repeated many times over, and the R. canina has become naturalized.

Found naturalized rose species – R. rugosa

Another rose that has been naturalized here in southern New England is R. rugosa. R. rugosa is a native to China, Korea, and Japan, but large swaths of coastline here in New England have been naturalized with it. These large areas of naturalized R. rugosa along the coastlines of southern New England are not all bad. The roses do help with soil erosion, and are often considered to be a beneficial addition to the landscape. R. rugosa also helps to feed the eco-system through the pollen in the flowers and the gigantic hips that develop soon after they bloom. R. rugosa has, however, pushed out some native species (not necessarily roses) in the process.

Found naturalized rose species – R. multiflora

Another naturalized species here in southern New England that has become more of a problem in recent years is R. multiflora. R. multiflora is an alien invader to North America. It is native to eastern Asia, China and Korea, and has been used as many years as an understock. It is often considered to be the “best” understock for our region. Under the same conditions that R. canina experiences when a grafted rose dies, R. multiflora also flowers and sets bright red hips that attract Mother Nature’s furry and feathered friends. These critters eat the hips and excrete the seeds in neatly-packed bundles of fertilizer ready for a new plant or two to start life again somewhere else.

R. multiflora – A living fence

R. multiflora was also sold as a “living fence” for many decades during the 20th century. It was planted along roadsides, fence rails, and a plethora of other uses where fencing is normally used. The seeds that are created by R. multiflora germinate at an extremely high rate, and the survival rate of these seedlings is great. R. multiflora is hardy in many zones throughout the United States. Because of the high seed germination/seedling survival rate, R. multiflora has become a nuisance in many areas of the country, and is considered to be a noxious weed in many states. Purposely growing R. multiflora in many states is against the law, and anyone considering growing it for use as an understock (or any other purpose) should research local laws to see if you are legally able to do so.

R. multiflora and rose rosette disease

In recent years, rose rosette disease has become more and more of a problem throughout the United States. The disease is spreading, and there is no known cure for it (except disposal of any infected plants). Naturalized R. multiflora growing widely in many areas of the country is considered to be the host by which the disease is spreading. The mites that carry the rose rosette virus find convenient R. multiflora hosts throughout the countryside. The mites “balloon” their way from host to host and infect other host R. multiflora plants as they go. Naturalized R. multiflora is considered to be major part of the system that has allowed rose rosette disease to spread as far and wide as it has.

Another alien species – R. wichuraiana

There are other alien and naturalized species here in southern New England, but they are not as prevalent as the ones that I have previously listed. I have also found R. wichuraiana growing alongside a roadway not too far from the eastern bank of the Providence River. The nickname for R. wichuraiana is the “Memorial Rose.” It is native to East Asia, and was planted by many people to memorialize a loved one in cemeteries. Not only does the species spread by seed germination, it spreads by rooting itself many times over in an above-ground runner system.

I have planted seeds from R. wichuraiana and they germinate rather easily. They tend to reach flowering maturity much earlier than the once-blooming naturalized roses R. multiflora and R. canina. There is probably little doubt that the rose that I found growing by the river was a byproduct of a Memorial Rose planted in memory of someone in a nearby cemetery.

Another alien species – R. moschata

The only other alien species rose that I can remember discovering here in New England is R. moschata. R. moschata is native to the western Himalayas. A year or so after I had found it, it was dead. I would to have loved to explore this rose further and add it to my collection, but was not able to.

Identifying species roses

Alien species roses tend to be much easier to identify than their native American counterparts. They appear much different not only in flower color and form, but in plant growth, habit, and other accompanying characteristics. Even though these alien species have been taken from their native environments, Mother Nature continues to do what she does best. She adapts to the environments presented to her. This is done through natural selections and mutations. And, who knows? Maybe in a few dozen more decades, some new species and/or species sections will emerge from her hard work?

The south has its share naturalized species as well – R. bracteata

Alien and naturalized species roses are found throughout the United States. Southern New England has only the tip of the iceberg so to speak in the world of naturalized roses. In the southern states, other alien species wreak their own havoc on the local eco-systems. One naturalized species rose is R. bracteata aka the “Macartney Rose.” R. bracteata is native to southern China and Taiwan. It is also considered to be an invasive species in many areas of the United States. R. bracteata was originally brought to the United States as an plant to use in landscapes, erosion control, and as living fences. Major portions of the southern United States have been affected by R. bracteata and its many recurved prickles.

Please note that this alien rose is the species rose named for Britain’s first ambassador to China, Lord George Macartney, who brought the rose back to England in 1793. It is not the popular and highly-fragrant pink hybrid tea rose, The McCartney Rose, introduced by Alain Meilland and named for Sir Paul McCartney’s (of Beatles fame) family.

R. laevigata and the “Trail of Tears“

Another alien invader that is usually found in southern states is R. laevigata aka the “Cherokee Rose.” R. laevigata has a history that is associated with the displacing of Native Americans of the Cherokee tribes during mid-June in 1838. Thousands of Cherokee people were forced to migrate from their homelands in Georgia and other lands east of the Mississippi River to the Oklahoma and Arkansas territories. This event was more commonly known as the “Trail of Tears.” One quarter of the people displaced during this migration are believed to have died during this tragic event.

The flowers of R. laevigata are white with golden centers, and legend has it that the white petals represent the clans of the Cherokee Nation, while the gold center represents the gold that the white man wanted as they drove the Cherokee from their ancestral homes.

R. laevigata – the state flower of Georgia

The state of Georgia adopted R. lavigata as the state flower in 1916. It has naturalized in many southern states and is a living reminder of this dark period in American history.

There are many more alien and invasive roses growing throughout the world. The roses that I have listed are by no means the only ones. There are quite a few that are not only alien roses, but invasive as well. They are reminders of the power Mother Nature has when mankind breaks her rules and unleashes species unchecked. Some day we may learn from our mistakes, but until then, we must deal with the consequences of our actions.

Epilogue

This story was originally written with my faux marble Moore pen that I have used before. The ink flowed extremely well and often while writing this blog. My only wish is that it had a clip on the pen cap to keep it in place. Instead, it has a gold ring that was used back in the 1930’s to hang around one’s neck. I guess that is part of its charm?

This story is the second in a series of stories about found roses. Alien and naturalized roses are found in all corners of the United States, but they were never meant to be here. They are only here because mankind put them here.

Rose in review – deadline September 26, 2021

We’re coming close to the deadline for evaluating our roses in the ARS annual Roses in Review. Last year, I was thrilled that I had one rose being reviewed. This year, two more roses were added to the Review (as well as four to the Handbook for Selecting Roses). This is an accomplishment that I may have only dreamed about a few years ago, but it is reality. I’m sure that I’m going to review my roses this year (and any other roses on the list that I grow). I hope that you will as well. If you are not reviewing any of my roses, please review the ones on the list that you do grow. Be honest with your reviews. The rose-growing world is counting on it.