Book Release

2008-08-13

 

"Tea Roses, Old Roses for Warm Gardens" caused quite a stir when it was released in USA this month.

Reviews describe it as "exciting" and as giving excellent information on the identification and cultivation of these wonderful historic roses.

This new Australian book will be released here in August . Come and meet the six authors at our 2008 Conference when Lynne Chapman as one of our Keynote Speakers will tell us the story of the new Tea Rose book.

Book Review

William A Grant
Tea Roses for Warm Climates, Lynne Chapman, Noelene Drage, Di Durston, Jenny Jones, Hillary Merrifield, Billy West, Rosenberg Publishing, Australia, 2008, 240 pp, hardcover


Can you imagine the excitement this book has caused in California, if not other parts of the United States? As we can grow the Teas where I live, now we have a definitive history as well as information on cultivation. And the lists of roses with the glorious photos!

The importance of this new book cannot be emphasized enough, as it fills a gap in rose history and cultivation that has existed ever since the Tea rose was introduced into Europe from China in the 19th century. Only one book, in German, by Rudolf Geschwind, was devoted to the subject. The title tells the story. Warm climates. Although they were praised in Victorian England, they were usually grown in greenhouses. So many general books on roses spend little time on them.

These are not Hybrid Teas, the popular, modern roses. They are re-blooming, colourful, scented shrubs for the most part, though there are some fascinating climbing Teas. Many people cannot smell the “tea” fragrance – although it is perfectly obvious to me and others. Delicate beauty is one of the outstanding features of these blooms.

What distinguishes them, as well, is their wide range of colors, which has inspired many famous painters to use them as subjects. Most of them in my garden do not really go dormant as most other roses do. They are rarely plagued with the usual diseases and pests. So why haven’t they been more popular? They are low maintenance plants, rarely offered by the big nurseries.

The largest part of the book is devoted to individual roses, from ‘Adam’ (1838) to ‘William R. Smith’ (1908), many of which are still available. Only two hybridizers in the world today are producing new Teas, though this book might change things.

Identification of Teas has been especially difficult, as there are problems with their bloodlines, many look-alikes, and nurseries careless with their labelling in the past. Old cemeteries have large collections of Teas, planted as memorials, and left there by families over the years. Cuttings taken in such places have helped to save them from extinction. The Old Pioneer Cemetery in Sacramento, California, has a celebration each spring attended by hundreds to view the flowering heirlooms. I was there a month ago, and the Teas gave evidence of longevity and beauty.

Australian rose lovers owe a great debt of gratitude to the six “Tea Ladies” who spent ten years compiling the information. I hope the national government has an award for such service! The photos are excellent, and the details of each rose are exhaustive. An excellent bibliography and one of the best indexes for a rose book fill out the beautifully printed volume. It has been an honor to know the authors.