Passage III

Rose by the Name Antique

With shears in hand, I clip a thin branch from the rosebush in my backyard garden. I place this clipping into the basket next to me and crouch under this again. I snip a few more branches and then rise to head to the greenhouse. There, I will deposit these clippings in rich soil; roots will take hold, buds will sprout, and a new plant will find a home in my garden.

My roses are not your average hybrid-tea roses (those long-stemmed, special occasion roses with well-formed buds). Mine are antique roses, old, or heirloom varieties, that have existed in gardens worldwide for centuries. Compared to vibrant hybrid-tea colors, antique rose colors tend to be silenced. Their stems are also shorter, and their buds are a bit droopier. Their fragrance, however, is unmatched. And unlike the hybrid-tea whose long stems make into a rosebush that is rather scraggly looking, antique rosebushes can be grown in a variety of colors, handsomely landscaping gardens.

The plant thrives best when it is exposed to six hours of direct sunlight daily. The plant can withstand extreme temperatures and survive nearly anywhere. It’s also easier to grow antiques. Cultivating hybrid-teas having involved a process of grafting two species of rose together, but the grafted area remains weak and susceptible to viruses. Antiques, on the other hand, are less prone to disease because they are grown simply by placing cuttings from a parent plant into nutrient-rich soil. They require far less pruning, fertilizing, and nurturing than their hybrid-tea counterparts, antiques can reportedly survive without any care from human hands, a fact that surprises many.

[1] I dig small holes in a pot of soil, place each clipping a half inch deep, and pack down the soil around them. [2] Back in my greenhouse, I strip the clippings of all leaves and branches. [3] Then I wait: the roots will take hold and, eventually, buds will sprout. (44)