A brief history of rose cultivation in Lithuania in the 18 th –19 th centuries. The legacy of old garden roses and their identification
ROCZNIK POLSKIEGO TOWARZYSTWA DENDROLOGICZNEGO Vol. 66 – 2018 • 11‒25 Krótka historia uprawy róż na Litwie w XVIII i XIX w. Spuścizna dawnych róż ogrodowych i ich identyfikacja
DOVILĖ RYLIENĖ
E-mail: dovile.ryliene@gmail.com
Received: 30 April 2018; Accepted: 16 May 2018
ABSTRACT: The first documented records of the cultivating roses on the present territory of Lithuania date back to 1795. There were very few descriptions of gardens in the period of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, they were not comprehensive enough, and moreover, they did not mention any roses at all. Roses suddenly became popular in Lithuania at the beginning of the 19 th century and since then they have gradually started to gain recognition as ornamental plants. The following key political events affected rather limited printed information on the subject of research. First of all, participation of the academic society in the November Uprising in 1831–1832 which resulted in the closing of the Vilnius University and its Botanical Garden, and caused the
discontinuation of academic research in botany in the region. After another Polish–Lithuanian Uprising in 1863, a number of Russification policies were implemented, including one of the most repressive legislations, i.e. the 1864–1904 press ban. All press publications in the Latin alphabet in Lithuania and partly in Poland were banned (Lithuanian-language publications that used Cyrillic were allowed and even encouraged) which resulted in a considerably worse availability of data about the research topic. The manuscript archives became the main source of information on ornamental plants during the Lithuanian press ban. Very few details about ornamental plants in the region were mentioned in the magazines published in Poland.
During the first half of the 19th century, there were two important rose propagation centers in Lithuania, i.e. the Botanical Garden of the Vilnius University (from 1799 to 1840) and Józef Strumiłło’s (1774–1847) nursery. Ogrody Północne [Northern Gardens] written by Józef Strumiłło, first published in 1820, drew attention to ornamental plants and their horticulture. In the second half of the 19th century, the largest ornamental plants nursery in Lithuania was the Hermann Keppe’s nursery in Vilnius, established in 1842. Although there were no thriving rose nurseries on the present Lithuanian territory, at the end of the 19th century roses became extremely popular plants in manor parterres and their selection was not limited only to those propagated by local growers. Lithuanian noble families imported plants from Poland and Prussia (Königsberg and Tilsit), and also from Hamburg, Riga and St. Petersburg, and other places.
Taking into account the history of roses in Lithuania, it is much more important to discover anew and preserve the surviving old rose cultivars which are already disappearing from Lithuanian gardens and some of them seem to be on the verge of extinction. Mostly they were grown in the first half of the 19th century and survived thanks to their hardiness and adaptability to Lithuanian climate. A good majority of roses launched before 1860 were hardy but those introduced and extremely popular at the end of the 19 th century and at the beginning of the 20 th century were short-lived and did not survive.
Key words: Jerzy Pabreż, Józef Strumiłło, Juozas Strumila, Jurgis Ambrozijus Pabrėža, Ogiński, ornamental plant history, Retów, Rietavas, Rosa, Vilna, Vilnius, Wilno, Władysław Tyniecki
A brief history of rose introduction and cultivation in Lithuania
Very little is known about the beginnings of cultivating roses in Lithuanian gardens. Seeds of Rosa species were found in the archeological layer of the Vilnius Lower Castle, dating back to the 16 th century (Steponavičienė 2005). At that time, the “Italian garden” was planted there on the request of Queen Bona Sforza but, as a matter of fact, just a few rose cultivars were grown in the medieval gardens. Only one of them, Rosa canina L., was able to mature its seeds in our cold climate and a shorter vegetation season. It is not clear whether the seeds found had come from the plant grown in the garden or had been collected outside the garden from wild specimens which were used for food. In the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance, roses were already known in Lithuania as a symbol of Christianity. They were found in various religious paintings or decorations in churches (Fig. 1), but unfortunately they were stylized and usually shown with no typical simple leaves. Those ornaments and decorations were most often made by foreign masters.Roses were valued for their medicinal purposes. In the 16th century, white rose syrup became very popular (Vienuolis 1906). It is not known whether that “medicine” was made from local roses or was imported from abroad. The largest centre of the rose oil production at that time (Provence in France) cultivated the hybrid of Rosa ×gallica L. with dark purple petals. White roses were not grown on a massive
scale, so it is probable that the “white rose syrup” popular in Lithuania could have been prepared from local roses. In the 16th century, very few European rose cultivars displayed white flowers, so the most likely it could have been Rosa ×alba‘Maxima’.
Roses were probably grown in monastery gardens already in the 15th–16th
centuries, but today there are no exact records confirming such cultivation in the territory of Lithuania. Fruit trees were the most common garden plants grown at that time. Plants were valued for their culinary or medicinal purposes and their ornamental features were rather not important. The oldest documented data found about roses in Lithuania date back to the 1795 inventory of Duke Sapieha’s palace (Janonienė, Purlys 2009), which mentioned seven
roses (without giving their names or descriptions) grown in flowerpots in a glasshouse with the fig trees called “Figarnia”.
The Botanical Garden of the Vilnius University was an important center for the introduction of rose species from 1799 till its closing down in 1840. At that time, botanical science was thriving and it was inspired by C. Linnaeus’ development
of the modern system of naming plants and animals. Researchers from all over the world focused on the nature of their regions and their greatest desire was to collect, register and systematize all plants. However, botanists were more interested in botanical species; they did not care about cultivars or decorative qualities of plants and their use in gardens. The popularity of botanical science, the establishment of universities and botanical gardens, as well as the publication of botanical textbooks also influenced the non-academic part of
the society. People started paying attention to the plant diversity and built up their own plant collections. Eventually, the world was taken over by the passion of flower gardens, and people not only bought but also exchanged seeds and plants. In contrast to proffesional botanists, ordinary people did not care much about non-decorative kinds of briars. Władysław Tyniecki (1883) wrote:“because [Rosa] species are not grown and are unpopular, we will not write about them, but will distinguish their most valuable varieties”. Commercial plant nurseries (not botanical gardens) played a major role in launching and propagating
decorative rose cultivars. On the present territory of Lithuania there were just a few plant nurseries which offered roses in their catalogues. The nursery of a famous gardener Józef Strumiłło (1774–1847) in Vilnius was one of the first nurseries in the region which sold ornamental plants. His Ogrody Północne[Northern Gardens], written and first published in 1820, was a very
popular book (reprinted many times) and exerted a great impact on the popularity of ornamental plants in Lithuania. Comparing the list of roses (30 names) from the 1818 Strumiłło’s catalogue with the 1817 list (31 names) of the Botanical Garden of the Vilnius University we can notice that only a few names coincided. Those two important sources of roses in the 19th century looked differently. Descriptions of roses in the 1818 Strumiłło’s catalogue were very poor, consisted of just a few words and provided no illustrations. The lists and descriptions of roses in Ogrody Północnein the editions of 1820, 1834, and 1844 were identical (30 names) but roses were described more precisely. Eventually
those descriptions were very helpful in identifying roses (unfortunately they included no illustrations either). The lists of roses in the 1850 and 1862 editions did not change but they included an additional supplement called Pielęgnowanie róż...[Rose care...]. The 1883 edition was fully updated and published by another author – Władysław Tyniecki (Tyniecki 1883).
Up to the 19thcentury roses did not have a firm position in gardens. After an impulse given by Napoleon’s wife Josephine, who encouraged local plant growers to start intense breeding programs in France, there was a rapid increase in the numbers of rose cultivars offered in Europe. Within fifteen years (1814–1829) the number of available rose cultivars increased almost 10 times (Elliott 2016). However, in J. Strumiłło’s catalogue of 1842–1843 other flowers, dahlias, dominated and it recommended even fewer roses than its first 1818 edition (just 20 rose names listed). At the same time, the 1838 collection of Countess Morska included 194 roses (Dudek-Klimiuk, Dolatowski 2013). Obviously, in the middle of the 19th century, J. Strumiłło was not interested in
roses. He paid greater attention to dahlias, gradually reducing offers of other plants.
In 1841, the Botanical Garden of the Vilnius University was closed down (the University was closed by order of Tsar Nicholas I because of mass and active participation of its academic society in the November Uprising in 1831). After closing down of Strumiłło’s nursery, there were only a few ornamental plant nurseries on the teritory of present Lithuania and the majority of them specialized in growing and propagating fruit trees. The description of the gardening fair in Vilnius in 1889 said that: “besides Wohler’s ornamental plants, there was almost no more ornamental plants in it” (Zaleski 1889). Wohler’s gardens were located in place of the old Strumiłło’s gardens, but the greatest
part of Strumiłło’s gardens was already sold and built up with houses, and according to Jankowski’s description: “a part is still waiting for the same destiny; there are also beautiful Italian nuts, several pears and ornamental trees left there” (Jankowski 1891). In the second half of the 19thcentury, the largest nursery in Lithuania was the Hermann Keppe’s plant nursery in Vilnius, established in 1842. H. Keppe had almost a 4.5 ha garden and greenhouses
with fruit trees and ornamental plants. He also published catalogues, but unfortunately we did not manage to find any of them, probably they got lost (“The most interesting of the Vilnius gardens are Mr. Keppe’s property with the largest greenhouses. On a ground beam of a long and high garden wall, windows were placed leaning against it to help speed up the ripening of peaches and tea roses”, Jankowski 1891). The description of the plant exhibition held in Vilnius in 1896 also mentioned roses: “excellent Majewski’s group of potted roses, not blossoming yet, but very well grown” (Montwiłł 1896).
Famous Lithuanian noble families used to buy roses in Poland, Riga, Prussia (Königsberg and Tilze), Hamburg and St. Petersburg. Although Lithuania belonged to the Russian Empire, the introduction of ornamental plants didn’t know any borders. It was possible to grow the newest and the most beautiful varieties of that time. H. Goeginnger’s company in Riga (established in 1851) had been advertised in the Lithuanian periodicals (catalogues in German and Russian). Wilhelm Jelski’s plant nursery (Ignatycze near Mińsk) from 1892–1918 also published catalogues and distributed them in Vilnius. The Ignatycze nursery was famous for its great variety of roses. A catalogue of wooded plants (with
roses bookmarked by hand) from the Odessa plant nursery was found in the Burbiškis manor. The St. Petersburg–Vilnius–Warsaw rail link (1862) exerted a great influence on the development of plant businesses; faster transport and
reduced costs made purchasses from abroad possible for a wider population.
At the end of the 19th century roses became very popular plants in the palace parterres and in the second half of the 19th century manors were the main importers and introducers of new rose cultivars.
Unfortunately, finding information about roses grown in manors at the end of the 19th century may prove difficult. In 1864, after the Polish-Lithuanian Uprising (1863), publications in the Lithuanian language and in the Latin alphabet were prohibited and that ban lasted for 40 years. A number of Russification policies were implemented, including the Lithuanian press ban and the closing of cultural and educational institutions and monasteries. Within a hundred years of Russian occupation, a lot of cultural riches vanished or were stolen and dozens of libraries of noble families were robbed. During the period of the 1940 nationalization on the territory of present Lithuania, a lot of the movable property
values were scattered around Lithuanian and foreign museums, archives and libraries, they got to private collections and a part of them was completely destroyed. During the Soviet reign, the inventories of palace properties and parks took place but they did not contain descriptions of shrubs or the remaining flower beds in parks. Only trees were included in inventories, and roses/briars mostly mentioned on the genus level (Rosasp.). The exact information about the rose cultivars grown should rather be sought for in the palace gardeners’ original manuscripts or the 19th century inventory lists. As a matter of fact, manuscripts containing descriptions of roses are hard to find in the archives (they can only be found accidentally).
The Ogiński family archive files revealed lists of roses grown in the second part of the 19th century, namely a list of roses at the Rietavas (Retów in Polish) manor (1850–1855), a list of roses at the Zalesie manor (current Belarus) 1855/1856 and the 1869 catalogue compiled by the gardener at the Rietavas manor (Fig. 2). The Rietavas manor boasted an extraordinary diversity of plants. Its collection was so huge that in fact the Rietavas manor garden was a private botanical garden.The lists of Ogiński roses perfectly reflected the period of the “rose revolution” when the fashion for growing roses, their popular cultivars and assortment in catalogues drastically changed. At the end of the 18th century, Chinese roses reached Europe and were crossed with the local ones, resulting in completely new groups of roses which appeared in a huge range of cultivars. New hybrids were blooming well repeatedly and with a proper care could grow in the open (glasshouses were not necessary), had a new and distinctive
blossom shape and a new range of colors. They revolutionized the rose world. Around the 1850s, there were already about 5.000 rose cultivars and home growers finally became interested in them. New roses suddenly became the most beloved flowers in the world. The Hybrid Perpetuals and the Hybrid Tea Roses became particulary popular. Until then once-blooming classic old roses – the Gallicas, Damasks,Albas and Centifolias dominated in the gardens, and the
Chinensis, Tea, Noisettes in glasshouses, but in the 1840s they disappeared from catalogues, gardens and glasshouses.The Ogiński’s lists of roses at the Rietavas manor (1850–1855) included 9 true old, once-blooming garden roses (33 in total, 16 failed in identification) and the 1869 list mentioned only one name of once-blooming old garden rose (49 in total, 16 failed in identification). The “rose revolution” changed the assortment of roses and caused a decline of “true old” garden roses, which was also clearly visible in the W. Tyniecki’s amended edition of Ogrody Północne(1883). A special attention was paid to the Hybrid Perpetual roses; there were even 70 cultivars listed, whereas only two Alba, three Gallica and four Damask cultivars.
Collecting and identifying the old garden rose cultivars
Nowadays, the old garden rose cultivars still found in some Lithuanian gardens are threatened with extinction. They have survived due to their high resistance and adaptability to our climate. The best depositories for them were roadsides, unattended cemeteries and old homesteads. Most likely this season may be the last one for those roses. By preserving them, we will preserve an extremely valuable genetic diversity. Our climate is demanding for plants, they need to become hardy enough to survive cold and changeable winters and spring
frosts. The roses adapted to such climatic conditions are the result of a long selection; they are long-lived, often undemanding and easy to grow, and they can easily regenerate from the undeground vegetative shoots. Most old garden rose cultivars are already extinct while others are on the threshold of extinction, so we have to find, collect and preserve what is left of the old garden roses. A lot of them are not only valuable for their exceptional hardiness and adaptability to climatic conditions but also for their extraordinary, unique history related to the location or the family history. Roses were loved in old gardens; some of them were spread through neighboursor friends in whole villages and regions, the others were passed down from generation to generation in families. There
are no old roses left in manor parks but they preserved well in adjacent villages. We can find old garden roses even near blocks of flats built in the Soviet era. The old rose cultivars are more common near houses built in the 1960–1980s during a rapid expansion of towns. People from villages came to live in towns and brought roses with them, and planted them near their new houses (the old rose cultivars were not available in any plant nursery at that time).
Unfortunately, in recent years they have become extinct very rapidly. Why are they in danger of extinction? After all, they are so resistant and have survived for so many years. According to the inventory conducted in 2005–2017, we are witnessing an extremely rapidly deteriorating situation. Mostly they are destroyed by the settlers who bought old homesteads; the old garden roses also become extinct because of the projects supported by the European Union
which improve local infrastructure, develop new yards and new industrial areas, and renovate and build blocks of flats. The surrounding vegetation is also “renovated” during such projects, which means that old plants and shrubs are eradicated. A lot of old rose cultivars are cut out during such undertakings. People say: “Let’s cut the shrubs” when old abandoned cemeteries or old parks are being “cleaned up”.
Abbreviations of source texts, both printed and manuscripts (for detailed information see References):
HER: Vilniaus universiteto herbariumas [Vilnius University Herbarium, 19th
century’s collection].
JUN 1830: Jundziłł J. 1830. Opisanie roślin...
OG 1850–1855: Инвентарь дворца…1850–1855 [Ogiński manor in Rietavas inventory, Lithuanian State Historical Archives].
OG 1855/1856: Годовой отчет о состоянии…1855/1856 [Zalesie manor inventory, Lithuanian State Historical Archives].
OG 1869: Список цветов и растений…1869 [Gardener’s Franciszek Kobyliński catalogue of the Rietavas manor, Lithuanian State Historical Archives].
PAB 1835–1855: Pabrėža J.A. 2014. Taislius augyminis.
STR 1818: Strumiłło J. 1818. Katalog roslin treybhauzowych...
STR 1820–1862: Strumiłło J. 1820. Ogrody Północne.
STR 1842–1843: Strumiłło J. 1842. Georginy wyborowe pełne…
VU: Skridaila A. 2001. Sumedėjusių augalų introdukcija…
[Notes on the roses introduction to Botanical Garden of Vilnius University since 1781].
Rosa ×alba L.
Rosa ×alba ‘Maxima’ is the most common old rose survived in Lithuanian gardens (Fig. 3). Usually it was grown as a solitaire shrub or near the houses. Józef Jundziłł (1830) described it in the following way: its “flowers are large;
some are light pink, it is grown in the gardens”. Pabrėža (1835–1843) said: “R. alba grows in many gardens of the Žemaitija region”. Its form with semi-double flowers is rare, just three such plants were found there. R. × alba ‘Chloris’
is found only in towns and villages near the Nemunas River in the former teritory of Prussia (Fig. 4).
Source texts:
Rosa × alba L. (VU since 1802, JUN 1830, PAB 1835–1855);
? ‘Maiden’s Blush’ (STR 1818, STR 1820–1862 as “Rosa incarnate/Rosa alba incarnate”);
‘Maxima’ (STR 1818, STR 1820–1862, STR 1842–1843, OG 1850–1855, OG 1855/1856 as “Rosa alba plena”).
Rosa arvensis Huds.
In the first half of the 19th century Rosa arvensis was recommended as a climbing rose. It needed a good winter cover in Lithuanian climate. Gabrielė Giunterytė-Puzinienė (1815–1843 diary) said: “My aunt [...] sent a bush of a climbing rose Rosa scandens. The news about my aunt’s death arrived together with the rose. After one year my uncle died too. [...] The rose, planted in the Dabraulėnai garden, climbed along a stone pillar with the following words engraved on it: “It survived them!” (Giunterytė-Puzinienė 2005). Unfortunately we did not find any survived cultivars of R. arvensis in the old gardens.
Source texts:
Rosa arvensis Huds. (VU since 1808, VU 1829, VU 1834, VU 1840, STR 1820–1862, OG 1855/1856 as “Rosa scandens”);
‘Ayrshirea’ (OG 1869 as “Capreolata alba”).
Rosa Bourbon Group
There are no old survivors of this Group.
Source texts:
‘Joseph Gourdon’, ‘La Reine’, ‘Souvenir de Malmaison’, ‘Dupetit Thouars’, ‘Louise Odier’ (OG 1869).
Rosa ×centifolia L.
Rosa × centifolia was first mentioned in the plant list of the Vilnius University Botanical Garden in 1799. The Strumił-ło‘s Centifolia description in ‘Ogrody Północne’ is rather strange: “flowers bright red, one darker, the other smaller or
bigger. It is so well known that there is no reason to describe it here“.Nowadays, there are no R. × centifolia cultivars with red or bright red flowers. According to Dickerson‘s citations about “Grande Centfeuille de Hollande” (Fig. 5), five authors of the first half of the 19th century described the color as red or bright red (Dickerson 1999, 2001). The Centifolias were popular in old Lithuanian gardens. Pabrėža wrote that R. × centifolia was common in the gardens of the Žemaitija region and Tyniecki mentioned (1883) that “the old common Centifolia rose always deserves a respectable place among other numerous new cultivars”.
The same R. × centifolia cultivar was found in the following four districts of Vilnius, Kaunas, Šiauliai and Panevėžys. It could be “Grande Centfeuille de Hollande” (R.×centifolia ’Maxima’). This cultivar was also mentioned by S. B. Jundziłł (1830): “Centifolia Hollanderska is a common Centifolia form in the gardens”. It was usually grown as a solitaire shrub or near the houses. Only one plant with a globular flower form, as ‘Des Peintres’, was found.
Rosa ‘Minette’ was a very popular rose in Lithuanian old gardens (Fig. 6). We found it in all Lithuanian districts. Althouth it was common, its origin and classification are still unclear. This cultivar was also common in the gardens of North America, Sweden and Finland. It is a very old form but probably it did not have a name for a long time (just local names) and used to be confused with other roses. Only after 1985 the name ‘Minette’ was used for this cultivar in Scandinavia. It seems to be related to Rosa ×alba or R.× damescena. In the herbarium of the Institute of Botany all ‘Minette’ specimens were identified as
R. × centifolia L.
Source texts:
Rosa × centifolia L. (VU since 1799, STR 1818, STR 1820––1862, PAB 1835–1855, HER, OG 1855/1856);
‘Grande Centfeuille de Hollande’ (STR 1818 as “Rosa major”, STR 1820–1862 as “Rosa hollandica centifolia”, JUN 1830 as “Centifolia Hollanderska”, OG
1850–1855 as “Rosa centifolia maxima”);
‘Unique’ (STR 1818, STR 1820–1862 STR, 1842–1843 as “Rosa unica”, VU since 1821 as “Rosa centifolia mutabilis”, OG 1855/1856 as “Rosa unica alba”);
“Rosa anglica” (STR 1818);
“Rosa centifolia minima” (OG 1850–1855, OG 1855/1856);
“Rosa centifolia regalis” (OG 1855/1856);
“Rosa regina” (STR 1820–1862) and “Rosa centifolia
Regina fl. plena” (STR 1842–1843).
Rosa chinensis Jacq.
The Chinensis were grown in pots in orangeries or greenhouses so there are no survivors of this Group.
Source textes:
Rosa chinensis(VU 1810, VU 1814 as “Rosa sinensis”);
‘Bengale Centfeuilles’ (STR 1818, VU 1823, VU 1824 as “Rosa indica centifolia”, OG 1850–1855 as ? “Rosa centifolia semperflorens”);
‘Indica Major’ (STR 1842–1843 as “Rosa semperflorens Indica major fl. pl.”);
‘Pumila’ (STR 1842–1843 as “Rosa pumila fl. pl. (miesięczna)”);
“Semperflora ranunculoides” (OG1869);
‘Slaters Crimson China’ (OG 1850–1855 as “Indica semperflorens”, VU 1834, VU 1840, VU 1841, STR 1920––1862 as “Rosa indica”, STR 1842–1843 as “Rosa semperflorens fl. pl.”, OG 1869 as “Semperflora indica”, OG 1850–1855 as ? “indica purpurea”, STR 1820––1862 as “Rosa bengalensis”);
“Rosa bengalensis fl. pallido” (VU 1817, VU 1821) and “Semperflora Ballida” [sic!] (OG 1869).
Rosa × damascena Mill.
Only two cultivars of the Damask group were found. “Blush Damask” is more common in the northern part of Lithuania (it was discovered in three districts there). There are no records in old sources about this cultivar. Perhaps it was classified as the Centifolia and had another name at that time. It is a very hardy cultivar and suckers freely. There is another survived old Damask rose which still remains unidentified. It was found in all districts of Lithuania, it is not a vigorous grower and its shrubs reach about 1 m high (Fig. 7).
Other old Damask cultivars usually suffer from the stem dieback in winter and are less cold hardy than the Gallicas and the Albas. During the ten-year observations, only “Blush Damask” and the unidentified small Damask rose managed to survive Lithuanian cold winters without damage. ‘Leda’ and ‘Pink Leda’ are not so winter hardy but can survive undamaged down to –20ºC. The other Damasks usually suffer form the hard stem dieback when the temperature drops below –20ºC. We can say that the Lithuanian climate is too severe for numerous known Damask cultivars and without a special care they are not able to survive for many years.
Source texts:
Rosa×damascena L. (STR 1818);
‘Celsiana’ (OG 1850–1855 as “Damascena incarnata”);
‘Quatre Saisons’ (VU since 1802 as “Rosa bifera”, STR 1818, STR 1820–1862 as “Rosa omnium calendorum rubra”, STR 1842–1843 as “Rosa omnium calendorum”);
“Rosa belgica” (STR 1818)?;
“Rosa damascena rosea” (OG 1855/1856);
“Rosa omnium calendorum alba” (STR 1818, STR 1820–1862).
Rosa foetida Herrm.
Rosa foetida Herrm. was first mentioned in the Vilnius University Botanical Garden (1802) and also in the 1818 Strumiłło’s catalogue. There are herbarium specimens of R. foetidain the historical collection of the Vilnius University herbarium of the 19th century. Although the ‘Bicolor’ cultivar was often referred to in the 19th century literature, no live old specimens of this variety have been found so far.
Only ‘Persiana’ was discovered in old gardens, but this cultivar was rather rare (Fig. 8). ‘Persiana’ appeared in the European catalogues only after 1845 and it became very popular because of its bright yellow flowers and hardiness. Till then, another double yellow rose, Rosa hemisphaerica Herrm., dominated in the catalogues. R. hemisphaerica Herrm., turned out to be a real trouble, its flowers tended to ball in a dry season. Władysław Tyniecki wrote about ‘Persiana’ (1883): “although blooms only once a year, it deserves a place in every garden, even with a small collection of roses”.
Source texts:
Rosa foetida Herrm. (VU since 1802, STR 1818, JUN 1830, HER as “Rosa lutea”, STR 1820–1862 as “Rosa eglanteria”);
Rosa foetida ‘Bicolor’ (VU since 1802, STR 1818, STR 1820–1862, PAB 1835–1855 as “Rosa bicolor”; JUN 1830 as “Rosa bicolor v. punicea”, VU since
1817 as “Rosa eglanteria bicolor”, OG 1855/1856 as “Rosa punicea bicolor”);
“Rosa lutea semiplena” (OG 1855/1856).
Rosa × francofourtana Münchh.
Rosa × francofourtana (Rosa × turbinata Aiton) is probably a natural hybrid of R. majalis Herrm., and R. gallica L. It was a very popular rose in the 17th –18th
centuries European gardens but after the 1840s it dissapeared from the catalogues. Its past is riddled with many secrets. It had lots of different names in various countries and there were many ambiguities about it in old texts. It was distinguished from other old garden roses by its extremely vigorous growth (it could reach the height of 3 m) and its canes were less thorny than those of
other old roses. There are great morphological variations of Rosa × francofourtana. Some of them are very high, others are low, some display great irregular flowers, others produce small flowers and in some cases their flowers are more double or more open. It has been mentioned in the Vilnius University
Botanical Garden since 1811 as “Rosa turbinate” but there are no traces of its existence in Strumiłło’s catalogues. Perhaps it was classified as the Centifolia and had another name. It was found in all Lithuanian districts (Fig. 9). It is very hardy and can survive the most severe winters without any dieback and can easily compete with other hardy shrubs.
Source texts:
“Rosa belgica” (STR 1818)?
Rosa gallica L.
Gallicas belong to the most mysteriuos group of old roses in our gardens. They were cultivated in the old Vilnius University Botanical Garden and J. Strumiłło described them in his Ogrody Północne. J.A. Pabrėža (1835–1855) wrote that Rosa gallica grew in the gardens of the Žemaitija region. Although the Gallicas were mentioned in variuos historical records, we still did not find any survived cultivars of this group. There is only one unidentified specimen of Rosa gallica leaves in the old Vilnius University Herbarium of 1823 (Fig. 10). According to W. Tyniecki (1883): “Rosa gallica from old times grows in the gardens; it survives winters without any cover. Although it flowers only once a year, it deserves a place in the garden. […] Our dark red, delicious rose belongs to this group
and it is also called the Turkish rose.”
The Gallicas’ shrubs are usually not very high or broad; in our climate their shoots do not grow as quickly and vigorously as the Rugosas’ or other survivors’. During severe winters, the Gallicas’ stems dieback till the snow cover. Most cultivars are hardy down to –25°C so they cannot compete with more cold hardy shrubs in abandoned places. Ten years ago ‘Rosa Mundi’ and Rosa pendulina were planted near each other in our garden (at the distance of 2
metres). After 10 years ‘Rosa Mundi’ disappeared, it suffered from winter diebacks and could not compete with its much stronger neighbor. Perhaps the
Gallicas could have survived in the western part of Lithuania where winters are not so severe.
Source texts:
Rosa gallica L. (VU since 1802, PAB 1835-1855, STR 1820–1862);
‘De Van Eeden’ (OG 1850–1855, OG 1855/1856, as “Rosa gallica purpurea” extinct in cultivation);
‘Marmorea’ (STR 1818 as “Rosa marmorea”);
‘Pompon de Bourgogne’ (VU since 1810 as “Rosa parvifolia”, STR 1818, STR 1820–1862 as “Rosa burgundica pulchra”, VU since 1817 as “Rosa burgundiaca”, STR 1842–1843 as “Rosa burgundica fl. pl.”);
‘Princ Frederick’ (OG 1850–1855);
‘Versicolor’ (VU since 1821, OG 1855/1856 as “Rosa gallica versicolor”, STR 1818, STR 1820––1862, STR 1842–1843);
“Rosa atropurpurea” (STR 1818, STR 1820––1862). Maybe it is ‘Subnigra’;
“Rosa gallica atrosanguinea” (OG 1855/1856);
“Rosa gallica fl. pl.” (STR 1842–1843);
Rosa gallica pumila (VU since 1817, PAB 1835–1855 as “Rosa pumilla”);
“Rosa holosericea” (STR 1820–1862), “Rosa holosericea Mormorell” (OG 1850–1855), “Rosa holosericea du Roi” (VU 1823, 1824, 1829); “holosericea” is the
epithet of the Gallicas with dark velvet flowers;
“Rosa versicolor fl. pl.” (STR 1842–1843).
Rosa glauca Pourr.
Rosa glauca was found in five Lithuanian districts. Some of shrubs are large and old; in the Vilnius University Botanical Garden referred to since 1808.
Rosa Hybrid Perpetual Group
It was an extremely popular rose group in the last decades of the 19th century. Tyniecki in his Ogrody Północne(1883) listed more than 70 cultivars of the Hybrid Perpetuals. They need a winter cover and almost all of them are short-lived in Lithuanian climate. They usually cannot regrow by suckers and require a big care. Only one unidentified cultivar was found in Lithuanian gardens.
Source texts:
‘Colonel de Rougemont’, ‘Geant des Batailles’, ‘Auguste Mie’, ‘Lord Raglan’, ‘Paul Dupuy’, ‘Reine des Fleurs’, ‘Mistress Crips’,‘Dr Ruschpler’ (OG 1869);
‘Louis Bonaparte’, ‘Comte de Paris’ (OG 1850–1855).
Rosa majalis Herrm.
Rosa majalis is native to Lithuania. In old gardens it was a popular cultivar with double flowers: R. majalis ‘Foecundissima’. It could grow and survive even in extremely difficult conditions and on poor soil. Usually it was found in hedges, growing together with other plants such as Syringa or Spiraea. Now it is not popular at all because of its small irregular flowers and a short flowering period. It was registered in the following eight districts of Alytus, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Panevėžys, Šiauliai, Telšiai, Utena and Vilnius (Fig. 11). There are great morphological variations in Rosa majalis ‘Foecundissima’. Some clones are high and some are small (groundcovers), some display small and irregular flowers whereas others have bigger and more shapely flowers.
Rosa majalis Herrm. has been referred to in the Vilnius University Botanical Garden since 1802 but there is no information about its “plena” form in the botanical garden. It appeared in the 1818 Strumiłło’s catalogue as “Rosa cinamomea“. Suprisingly enough, there were no R. majalis Herrm., or ‘Foecundissima’ mentioned in Ogrody Północne. It was only referred to in the 1883 edition, Tyniecki said that “very common in our gardens are plena forms of R. majalis, called “rożyczka majówka“ (R. cinamomea flore pleno)”.Pabrėža also wrote about Rosa majalis ‘Foecundissima’. He said that R. majalis (he did not accept the “plena” form) grew near Vilnius, in the Žemaitija district and in the gardens of Kretinga; it was common near hedges and in the gardens. Jundziłł (1830) knew it as the garden cultivar with double flowers called “różagirlandowa”.
Source texts:
Rosa majalis Herrm. (VU since 1802, JUN 1830, PAB 1835–1855 as “Rosa cinnamomea”, HER 1823, HER 1829, HER 1824 as “Rosa cinammomea”, STR 1818 as “Rosa cinnamomea”);
‘Foecundissima’ (JUN 1830 as “Rosa cinnamomea […] z kwiatami pełnemi […] girlandowa”, PAB 1835––1855 as “Rosa foecundissima”).
Rosa Noisette Group
The Noisette roses were grown in pots in orangeries or greenhouses so there are no survivors of this Group.
Source texts:
? ‘Blush Noisette’ (STR 1820–1862 as “Rosa noisettiana”, “flowers light pink, very double”);
‘Gloire de Dijon’ (OG 1869);
“Noisethana” (OG 1855/1856);
“noisetta z Krulowie” (OG 1850–1855);
“Noisetta Victor Daurg” (OG 1869);
‘Vicomtesse de Avesne’ (OG 1869);
“Rosa Noasett fl. pl” (STR 1842–1843).
Rosa rugosa Thunb.
There are many Rugosas in Lithuanian gardens, usually planted as hedges. Mostly these are spontaneous seedlings. Only one, a well known cultivar called ‘Tsaritsa Severa’, was found (syn.: ‘Empress of the North’, ‘Kaiserin des Nordens’, ‘Pohlojan Kuningatar’). It grew in all Lithuanian regions (Fig. 12) and was especially common in Vilnius. This cultivar was launched by the Regel & Kesselring nursery in St. Petersburg (1876). In their catalogues, they strongly advertised ‘Tsaritsa Severa’ and recommended it for northern gardens. In 1883 Tyniecki noticed that it “recently appeared in our gardens. Imperatrice du nord”.
Rosa spinosissima L.
Strumiłło boasted (1820–1862) that he had 12 different Spinosissima cultivars with English names (unfortunately he did not list any names). There were no Spinosissimas in the 1818 Strumiłło’s catalogue. Tyniecki (1883) said that
“the most common were pink double (Aurora) and white double (Blanche Double), and yellow double were very rare (Jaune double des Anglais)”.
Rosa spinosissima ‘Plena’ is one of the most common Lithuanian old garden roses. Its flowers are semi-double and the hue of their petals is white with yellowish tints. It is very easy to propagate by suckers. Hedges and the
vicinity of fences belong to its most common positions. Its form with double pink flowers is extremely rare, and only a few such plants were found in the Taurage and Utena districts. Rosa spinosissima L. with its single flowers is not as common as a white double form. Pabrėža (1835–1855) described them as two different species, R. spinosissima and R. pimpinellifolia. Rosa spinosissima
flowers are: “large, white with yellow tints and turning totaly white when ageing”. It grew in the Lyda, Podolia and Volhynia regions. However, Pabrėža did not mention growing R. spinosissima in the gardens. He described R. pimpinellifolia as the rose displaying small pink flowers.
Source texts:
Rosa spinosissima L. (VU since 1782 , HER 1832, VU since 1804 and STR 1820–1862 as Rosa pimpinellifolia);
‘Plena’ (STR 1842–1843, OG 1850–1855, OG 1855/1856 as “Rosa pimpinellifolia fl. pl.“).
Rosa Tea Group
The Tea roses were grown in pots in orangeries or greenhouses so there are no survivors of this Group.
Source texts:
? ‘Anémone’ (STR 1842–1843 as “Thea rosea”);
‘Bougère’(OG 1869);
‘Comte de Paris’ (OG 1850–1855);
‘Eugenie Désgaches’ (OG 1869);
‘Flavescens’ (STR 1842–1843, OG 1855/1856 as “Thea lutea”);
‘Fortune’s Five Colored-Rose’ (OG 1869);
‘Hume’s Blush Tea Scented China’ (VU 1823, VU 1824, VU 1829 as “Rosa odorata”, VU 1840 as “Rosa indica odorata”, STR 1818, STR 1820–1862 as “Rosa semperflorens chinensis odorata/Chinensis odorata”, OG 1855/1856 as “Thea Carnea”);
‘Mélanie Willermoz’ (OG 1869);
‘Triumph de Luxemburg’ (OG 1869).
Summary
The identification and analysis of the old garden rose cultivars found in Lithuania showed that there were roses grown in the first half of the 19th century which survived due to their extreme hardiness and adaptability to Lithuanian climate. Unfortunately, the groups and cultivars of the roses extremely popular at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century were short-lived and did not survive in the old gardens. The majority of hardy rose cultivars which survived in Lithuanian gardens till now were introduced before 1860. The Chinensis, Tea and Noisette roses were grown in pots in orangeries or greenhouses so there are no survivors of those groups.
Acknowledgments
I am very grateful to Dr. Jakub Dolatowski and Prof. Jerzy
Zieliński for their invaluable helps.
References
Manuscripts:
Инвентарь дворца, мелких хозяйственных строений и движного имущества имения Ретово за 1850–1855 годы. Lietuvos valstybės istorijos archyvas, F 1177 1(1) 1441.
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