GARDENING
THE EXPERT
EVERYTHING’S COMING UP ROSES Tom Carruth, award-winning rose hybridizer and The Huntington Library’s E.L. and Ruth B. Shannon Curator of the Rose Collections, shares his approach to maintaining an organic rose garden. BY L I N DA B R O O K S
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’ve enjoyed roses ever since I was a child. Both my mother and grandmother had rose gardens where they’d let me cut flowers to make beautiful bouquets for our home and to share with my teachers. A double-bloom of pale yellow with soft pink tips named “Peace” was a favorite. My current rose garden consists of 30 plants, most of which are in a dedicated rose bed, filled with every color from white to deep purple, and an array of fragrances that can’t be store bought. I’ve tried to pass along my love and appreciation of roses to my daughter, constantly putting little boutiques of freshly cut roses on a bedside table while she was growing up. But apparently the “queen of flowers” has gone out of vogue in the last decade or so. Maybe it’s that younger generations only 58 PA S A D E N A
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have the patience for succulents. But now, on the brink of the 133rd Annual Tournament of Roses Parade, roses are on my mind more than ever. I’ve known of Tom Carruth since I discovered his extraordinary, deep rust–colored “Hot Cocoa” rose. He’s credited with breeding more than 150 varieties, 11 of which have received the prestigious All-American Rose Selection award for outstanding rose variety. (It takes 9–10 years to bring a rose to market.) As curator, he oversees The Huntington’s three-acre rose garden, which showcases more than 1,300 varieties, over 2,500 individual plants, and about 45 volunteers (there is even a wait list). When I go to visit him at The Huntington, my mind is filled with questions. Here, he shares his tips and insights.
