Léonie Bell Noisette Rose Collection at Tufton Farm
Rose fever has struck CHP. Specifically, Noisette Rose fever. In the spring of 1998 we added a significant collection of Noisette Roses to CHP’s nursery at Tufton Farm, and have been smitten ever since. Throughout the summer and into the fall these fragrant jewels have flourished and bloomed with abandon, oblivious to the most serious drought known to Albemarle County in recent memory.
This new garden was made possible by a generous grant from Louis Bell, in memory of his wife, the late rosarian Léonie Bell, whose contributions to the knowledge of old roses, especially the class known as Noisettes, and to other garden ornamentals was critical to our preservation of these plants today. Léonie Bell’s book, The Fragrant Year, 1967, which she also illustrated, is a landmark work on choice garden plants. Speaking from her own research and experiences in her Pennsylvania garden, she wrote countless articles on old roses for the Heritage Roses Group and for national and international publications such as The American Rose Annual and The Royal National Rose Society. Mrs. Bell was mentor to many prominent experts in the field, including Dr. Arthur O. Tucker of Delaware State University and Rev. Douglas Seidel of Emmaus, Pennsylvania. It was Doug Seidel who arranged for many of the more rare Noisette specimens to be included in this garden, and even donated prized plants from his personal collection.
At present, the garden contains thirty different Noisettes, with more to come. In addition to the obvious varieties–the ‘Champneys Pink Cluster’, ‘Blush Noisette’, and the parents ‘Old Blush China’ and ‘Double White Musk’–the garden inclu
des many one-of-a-kind selections. Doug Seidel personally donated his "Aunt Louisa Rose" from the garden of President Garfield’s aunt and "Faded Pink Monthly," from Creekside, home of pioneer old rose collector Mrs. Frederick Love Keays, who acquired her plant from the descendent of a slave who rooted a slip before the Civil War.
The garden, designed by Charlottesville landscape architect and historian C. Allan Brown, is reflective of 18th- and 19th-century Rosary Gardens, which were planted generally in a circular design creating an intimate enclosure of roses either festooning as garlands or freely flowering as bushes. Tufton’s garden is octagon shaped, one of Thomas Jefferson’s favorite forms, with paths bisecting the center and surrounded by eight-foot posts connected with chains for the climbing sorts. CHP’s nursery manager, Diane Lowe, and Monticello’s master carpenter/jack-of-all-trades Dick Proffit are to be commended for their fine work in executing this project. Special thanks go also to Wayne Goodall, CHP’s dedicated volunteer, for her ideas and always appreciated involvement.
In addition to Louis Bell’s contribution toward the garden’s construction, CHP has received support from members of the Heritage Roses Group, The Philadelphia Rose Society, and other individuals with a passion for rose preservation and enduring esteem for Léonie Bell.
The garden remains a work in progress, both in design and content. More specimens will be added as they become available. In time we hope to replace the mulch paths with brick and secure an appropriate pedestal to mount a reproduction sundial of Jefferson’s design for the garden’s center. Finally, a low planting of evergreen shrubbery surrounding the garden is planned to provide more enclosure and mask the nursery’s cold frames and other growing areas.
Initial inventory of first planting, 21 May 1998
BED I:
- 'Aimée Vibert' (Vibert, 1828)
- 'Champneys' Pink Cluster' (Champneys, 1802) -- The first hybrid rose raised in North America.
- (Rosa moschata x R. chinensis)
- "Old Gay Hill Red"
- "Faded Pink Monthly" -- From the site of Creekside, home of Mrs. Frederick Love Keays, pioneer of old rose collecting in the U.S. The original slip was from a plant growing in MD before Civil War.
- 'Nastarana' (Persian Musk Rose) -- Middle Eastern cultivar introduced from Iran, 1879.
- 'Miss Lowe's Crimson China' -- close to the wild R. chinensis. Listed as 1887 but much older.
- 'Paquerette' polyantha, 1875
- 'Old Blush China' -- circa 1000 A.D. Introduced into Europe in 1752. The female parent of 'Champneys' Pink Cluster'
BED II:
- "Aunt Louisa Rose" -- An old-style Noisette from the garden of President Garfield's Aunt Louisa. Collected by Mrs. A. Thomas Benzinger.
- "Florida Lavender - Pink" (also called "Mrs. Wood's Lavender Pink") -- An old form widely distributed in Florida.
- 'Caroline Marniesse' (Roeser, 1848)
- 'Alister Stella Grey' (A. H. Grey, G. Paul, 1894)
- 'Double Musk Rose' (R. moschata plena) -- Cultivated before 1000 A.D. in the Islamic world. The male parent of 'Champneys' Pink Cluster'.
- 'Fabvier' (Laffay, 1832)
- 'Marie Pavié' (Algatiere, 1888) -- Apparently a seedling or sport of a much older Noisette.
- "Natchitoches Noisette" -- Foundling from Louisiana
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BED III:
- 'White Pet' (also 'Little White Pet'), (Henderson, 1879) -- A dwarf sport of 'Felicité et Perpétue'
- (Noisette x R. sempervirens)
- 'Pompon de Paris' (1839)
- 'Bouquet Tout Fait' (Laffay, pre1836)
- "Natchitoches Noisette" -- Foundling from Louisiana
- "Mount Vernon Noisette" -- Foundling from Antique Rose Emporium
- 'Belle Vichysoise' (Lévêque, 1895) -- An early Noisette reintroducted under a new name.
- 'Lamarque' (Marechal, 1830) ('Blush Noisette' x 'Park's Yellow Tea-Scented China')
- 'Celine Forestier' (Trouillard, 1842)
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BED IV:
- "St. Leonard's Noisette" (sold as 'Jean d'Arc') -- Mrs. Keays' find in Calvert County, Maryland. Possibly 'Herbemont's Musk Cluster' raised in South Carolina.
- 'Blush Noisette' (Philippe Noisette, 1814) -- Seedling of 'Champneys' Pink Cluster' and the origin of the Noisette class.
- "UVa Cemetery" -- A primitive Noisette found locally.
- "Mount Vernon Noisette"
- 'Belle Vichysoise' (Lévêque, 1895)
*single quotes indicate legitimate cultivar names; double quotes indicate study name of found rose.