Garden News In the Rose garden we have two types of old or "heritage" roses; Rosa rugosa and Rosa Gallicia. These roses are the hardy, disease resistant roses of the past. They are the medicinal roses of biblical times, the fragrant bowers of the Victorian Era, the love potions of medieval times and the components of the jams and jellies of our past. They are the roses of history. Rosa rugosa is native to Northeastern Asia where it has been cultivated for over a thousand years. Rugosa has freely naturalized in all parts of the globe. As it is variable from seed, so many times, the parent looks nothing like the offspring but, this rose has contributed to some of the most important hybrid rose breeding programs in history. Rugosa blooms continuously over a season. Rosa Gallicia is a rose that blooms only once in a season but is incredibly fragrant. Rosa Gallicia, many scholars believe is native to the Caucasus (the mountainous area between the Black and the Red Sea). Gallicia's are the roses of the Roman forum and the French Royal Court.

Cherry Valley Gardens of the 1800's were not formal gardens but gardens predicated in the style of the Old English country gardens of the past. Cherry Valley has the distinction of having one of the first women to import Species Roses from China in the 1880's; Mrs. Susan Roseboom-Belcher, sister to Catherine Roseboom, a well known Cherry Valley philanthropist. The families of Hetherington, Cox, White, Cannon, Dakin and others also had extensive rose gardens during this era. In Cherry Valley, this tradition of collecting and growing roses lasted from the end of the Revolution to the middle of the 1930's. The oldest rose currently in the garden is the Apothacary Rose, which was known to the ancient Romans and Greeks. Also in residence is Rosa Austrian Copper, which has a distinct five-hundred year history. There are several roses propagated in 1649 that reside here, plus three others, all in the era of the 1740's. Also, in this garden are two roses very important to Cherry Valley: the Cherry Valley Rose c1600 and the George Washington Rose c1780. All of the original, formal rose gardens in Cherry Valley are gone now, lost to time and progress. But, if you are patient as we plant and propagate these roses that have stood the test of time, weather and cultures, they will be with us again for future generations to enjoy. Please visit and enjoy the grounds and our museum.