Mothers Day in Mendocino... (Friday, February 26, 1999)

... is always a little hectic for me. Not only am I busy honoring my aged mother (83! this spring) but it is the height of the blooming season for most roses. Since mid-April I am caught up in a heady round of rose events -- open gardens, sales, tours, lectures, the Celebration, exhibitions -- all vying to attract folks to various educational and/or commercial gatherings centered on the theme of roses. I attend or participate in all that I can fit into my schedule. I love the whirl of activity and the array of roses that fill my senses, but I am also somewhat overwhelmed by the pace and all the traveling that is involved. So it is nice to have one event happening in my own back yard, so to speak. That one is my own Rose Tour of Mendocino. I've been conducting this tour in May for many years now. It is the time when most of the old roses growing around the historic town are in full bloom and the time when both locals and visitors can learn about the history of some of the roses in conjunction with some of the history of the town itself. This year, 1999, there will be an even closer link between rose history and Mendocino history since I'll be offering the tour in collaboration with an exhibit to be mounted at the Kelley House, the base for the Mendocino Historical Society and a fascinating little museum with many interesting displays chronicling the colorful past of the village. The Kelley House is always interested in expanding people's knowledge of Mendocino and it has become apparent to many local historians that there is more to that history than unique architecture and the parade of characters who settled this frontier town. All over the village, still living in splendid and vigorous health, there are roses. There are individual plants in Mendocino that have been in place for over a century and are thriving and beautiful still. There are others that are barely hanging on -- victims of ignorant or over-zealous gardeners, yet still of great interest to the rosarian. These antique plantings are as important an element (at least in my opinion) in the story of Mendocino as the houses and the people. I am always impressed by the tenacity and rigor of roses and finding a wide range of classes and varieties growing well in one town is very exciting. The sharp-eyed rosarian can spot old plants (often identifiable by their huge, gnarled trunks) of Teas, Chinas, Hybrid Chinas, Rugosas, Noisettes, Ramblers, Polyanthas, early Hybrid Teas, Hybrid Musks, Bourbons, Spinosissimas, and Albas. The only major classes not naturalized around town are the Gallicas and Damasks. However, gardeners have planted them in more recent landscapes and they do quite well here. I have created a map of Mendocino with numbered locations identifying the original plantings. I have not mapped every rosebush in town, but have concentrated on the historic plants. Where there are very public displays of more recent installations of antique roses, I have added them to the map in order to help the rosarian in identifying the roses they are viewing. The map is a useful tool for self-touring the town during the spring months (the optimum time for many of these old, once-blooming roses) and I use it to accompany my Walking Tour. This year I will be starting out on the Walking Tour from the Kelley House on Main St. A group will gather there at 11:00 a.m. on Mothers Day (Sunday, May 9) and depart for a tour that generally takes about two hours. I strongly advise wearing good walking shoes! It ends up being quite a hike. The Kelley House will be adding an extra event this year -- they will host a reception on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. and I'll be showing some of my slides and discussing the various attributes of the roses pictured. This is especially useful to gardeners who are interested in which roses grow well in the coastal climate -- a tricky place for roses at best. Much can be learned by observing the roses which have survived for decades with almost no care and are still vibrant and lovely. These venerable troupers will be the focus of my slide show and talk. Anyone who is going to be in the area that weekend is invited to attend either or both events. Bring your mother!! Email me for more information and/or if you want to receive a map of Mendocino's roses for some future trip you intend to make to this area. This is going to be fun!

Previous Rose Wraps Many Changes (Monday, April 17, 2000) Where's Alice??? (Monday, August 16, 1999) Ah, the Celebration...... (Wednesday, May 19, 1999) Long Time, No Wrap.... (Tuesday, April 6, 1999) Is It Spring Yet??? (Wednesday, March 10, 1999) Mothers Day in Mendocino... (Friday, February 26, 1999) Old Blush (Tuesday, February 9, 1999) Plum Blossoms (Wednesday, January 27, 1999) The Dead of Winter (Friday, January 15, 1999) The Old Year Passeth.... (Monday, January 4, 1999) Alba Madness! (Thursday, December 10, 1998) The Weather Again (Thursday, November 19, 1998) El Nino/La Nina (Monday, November 9, 1998)

---

White Rabbit Roses
P.O. Box 191, Elk, CA 95432
Proprietor: Alice Flores
Colophon