Rosa sertata, from China, in the Crabapple Meadow.
The Arboretum’s wild roses are magnets for bees.
On the Wild Side
Exploring the Arboretum’s
Species Rose Collection
T e x t B y D a n i e l M o u nt
P hotos
T
by
N i a l l D u nn e
he rose is hard to overlook. It is the
quintessential garden plant, offering
delicious fragrance and sublime beauty
lauded by poets, painters and lovers. “A rose is
a rose is a rose,” as the saying goes, but it takes
many forms: According to Kew Gardens’ “Plants
of the World” (www.plantsoftheworldonline.
org), more than 270 species of rose are currently
recognized. Thousands of cultivated varieties
are commercially available.
Though not many would associate
Washington Park Arboretum with roses, the
collection contains more than 280 speci-
mens representing about 70 taxa. Roses grow
throughout the park but can be found in
particular abundance in Crabapple Meadow
and the adjacent Sorbus section.
The collection features around 40 rose culti-
vars and hybrids but is distinguished by its strong
focus on wild—or species—roses (of which there
are 31). These are roses of natural origin, typically
bearing small, fragrant, single flowers with red,
pink or white petals. They are the ancestors of
all modern rose varieties. Unlike many hybrids
that have been bred for bold, dramatic blooms,
species roses have the reputation of being rugged
and easy to maintain.
Focus on Asia and Europe
Species roses grow in the wild in North
America, Europe, the Middle East and Eastern
Asia, where they show a high level of diversity.
The number of species continues to grow as
botanists make new discoveries about the wild
Summer 2019 v 13