Huntington Highlight: The Rose Garden in Bloom

Mere hours after the hugely anticipated Royal Wedding had taken place amid the glories of Westminster Abbey, I found myself at , experiencing pomp and circumstance of a different, more natural, sort—the luxurious abundance of blooms that are now brightening up the Rose Garden. This gorgeous collection is located just to the east of the Japanese Garden ( for renovations and centennial celebration preparations) and features over 1,200 cultivated varieties, or "cultivars", that span the ages, from classical blooms of ancient Greece and Rome to David Austin’s modern “English Roses.”

The Rose Garden's history began in 1908, just five years after Henry E. Huntington purchased his San Marino Ranch estate. Initially it was designed as a display garden for the Huntington family to enjoy; today, grandiflora, Tea and China roses, hybrid teas, floribundas, climbers, shrubs and more are spread across three and a half acres, on which also stands a lovely sculpture set within a stone tempietto from Versailles. Appropriately ringed by beds of French Lace roses, the “Temple of Love” perfectly reflects the romance embodied by the flowers that surround it.

As I wandered slowly up and down the grass walkways that divide the beds, I marveled at the range of colors on display—warm yellows, pure whites, pretty pinks, vibrant oranges, deep reds and even various shades of purple. The air was filled with the delicate fragrance of nearly 4,000 individual rose plants.

I also enjoyed learning the names of roses as I browsed their identifying labels (which are placed in front of each variety). Shakespeare’s Juliet may have been satisfied that a rose would smell sweet no matter what it was called, but I for one am glad for such enchanting and evocative handles as “Gypsy Dancer”, “Summer Love”, “Joseph’s Coat” and (my favorite, obviously) “Grace.”

Quite a few roses are also named for celebrities, dignitaries and royalty, such as “Judy Garland”, “Pope John Paul II” and “Queen Elizabeth”, a rose that, curator Clair Martin told me, was named by an American—no doubt to the annoyance of British hybridizers.

Martin showed me around the garden as he shared some of his extensive knowledge of roses, gained over the course of 28 years in his current post. He talked to me about the ways that the color of a rose can be affected by temperature, the fact that rose varieties are grown only once from seed and then propagated through cloning, and why there are lots of roses that don’t have a strong fragrance (according to Martin, American hybridizers focused more on color). He also mentioned that The Huntington does not use chemical pesticides to protect the flowers. "The only thing that gets sprayed on these roses is water," he said.

Many of the cultivars in the collection tie in to The Huntington’s literary and historical holdings, with names like “Prospero”, “Tamorra” and “Othello” referencing Shakespeare. There’s also “Wife of Bath”, “The Yeoman” and “The Nun”, all characters from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, a prized copy of which (the famed Ellesmere manuscript) is on permanent view in the Library.

 “One of my favorite new [roses] is Lady Emma Hamilton,” said Martin, leading me over to an attractive, orange-tinted flower named after the renowned beauty who became Lord Nelson’s mistress. He added, "[George] Romney painted her more than any other woman." One of those paintings, a portrait of Lady Hamilton wearing a straw hat and posing coquettishly, hangs on the first floor of The Huntington’s art gallery.

There really is no better time to see the Rose Garden in all of its (considerable) splendor, so take advantage of the sunny weather to pay The Huntington a visit before the blooms wane in early June. Plan ahead and make a reservation at the Rose Garden Tea Room so you can enjoy a traditional English tea after your garden explorations (or just grab a light lunch or snack at the Rose Garden Cafe). And don't forget your camera—The Huntington is hosting a photo challenge on its Flickr site!

If you like roses, or if you just need an excuse to get outdoors, Martin is always happy to have volunteers on Tuesday mornings from about 9 a.m. to lunchtime to help remove spent blooms in the Rose Garden (called “dead-heading”). It’s a great way to meet other enthusiasts and get involved in The Huntington’s garden operations. Contact Volunteer Programs Coordinator Mikki Heydorff at mheydorff@huntington.org or (626) 405-2126 for information.