I saw this on my visit last year to The Sac Cemetery Rose Garden and was absolutely charmed by it.

Jackie, I would love to hear the story of how you discovered it!

Is it being offered for sale anywhere?

This is a lovely rose. I am no longer added to my collection, but would make a exception for this one.

Yes, Jackie, I would love to hear the story!

OK, it is a good time for stories, so here goes. I got a lot of my old roses (Niles Cochet, Belle Portugaise, TROMN, Russelliana, Cl Crimson Glory, Lamarque, Madam Caroline Testout) from walking around my old neighborhood, (most of the houses near mine were built from the late 1880s through the 1920s) and seeing them, and taking cuttings (I always asked permission, except as I recall one rose which was cascading over a fence and blocking the sidewalk I was walking on!).

Anyway, about 4 blocks from my house is where the commercial district of my town starts, and there is a street which used to be residential, but now is a major road - it is 4 lanes one way now. This sounds so like I made it up, but it is true. There was one little cottage which had survived from a row of them. It was about 6 blocks from my house. The lady who lived in it since the 1930s had died at around 90, and the large super market across the street had purchased the empty house, and wanted to tear it down and build a 2 story building with an office and an apartment above that. I knew all of this because I am on the Board of our neighborhood association, and the City always sends us info about projects in our neighborhood. It took 2 1/2 years for the City to approve the project. Meanwhile, the little cottage just sat there empty. I seemed to remember flowers in the now neglected front yard, so I walked over there one day (with my clippers). It was Spring, and there were roses blooming all over the front garden. I recognized most of them (CB, etc). I looked for ones I did not recognize, and saw what looked like a large ancient bush (the trunk was 7-8 inches in diameter) growing near the front door. It had lovely small yellow roses all over it. Here is a pic I got from the Planning Dept of our town later (they are required to document any old building before it is torn down) - this is what it looked like when I got the rose -

it is the one to the left of the path, looking like a lolly pop or a tree rose (it looks like there is a pink rose on it, but that is from another bush in front of it).

So, I took a cutting of the little yellow rose and rooted it, and planed it in my garden, and asked for help on here to figure out who it was. Eventually Kim Rupert helped me, and then he sent cuttings of it all over the world, which was fantastic! The best guesses for ID are both polyanthas from the very late 19th or very early 20th centuries, Eugenie Lamesch (which is LOST), or George Elger (which we only have been able to locate over the whole world in one public garden in Australia, from whence you cannot import roses into the US). My vote is for George Elger.

It is in commerce; HMF says Rose Petals nursery has it, and it has been sold at the Sacramento Historic Cemetery rose sale in prior years - Jeri or Kim might know more about where it is available.

Jackie

No. I wish I did know of more sources, Jackie. It's too good a rose to be lost again ... and in these days of diminishing sources, that's a possibility.

Distribution is the best hedge against extinction so this is a rose I'd love to see widely grown.

Here's an image that gives you a good look at buds, open blooms, color changes, and foliage:

Thanks, Jeri. That is a great photo! I would just like to add that it is truly a survivor - our garden has lots of trees and huge ornamental shrubs which were planted in the early 20th century, before they miniaturized everything, so sunlight is at a premium. None of my bushes of SSY get anywhere near "6 hours of direct sun", but they bloom and bloom anyway.

Jackie

What a great story Jackie! How wonderful that you have the eagle eye for roses :) California is so rich in rose history...I really miss living in the Bay Area. I lived in El Cerrito for a while and the number of beautiful old roses that could be seen there was amazing!

When I visited the Sac cemetery, Schmidt's Smooth Yellow stood out to me as soon as I saw it. The foliage is very pretty, as well as the flowers.

I looked it up on Rose Petals, but she no longer carries it.

One more question: who was Schmidt? The owner of the cottage?

Rosylady, "Schmidt" Is Jackie's last name. The rose was named after her ;)

Yup. Jackie really is a Rosy Lady -- with a sharp eye for a great rose. We are in her debt.

DAMN! I'm sorry to hear that Rose Petals no longer offers it. You MIGHT try Burlington Rose Nursery. Burling has picked up several good things from the Sacramento City Cemetery.

And with the Cemetery's collection now HIGHLY ENDANGERED, it would be wonderful to push some of these roses into commerce, lest they be lost.

Burling may or may not have it, but it is not on her Spring 2020 larger rose availability list. The other list is for miniatures.

If it was once on Rose Petals Nursery's website, it may have not made it to the new one, but is still carried. Or perhaps Cydney propagated a few from a collecting trip out to California, sold those, and what she retained for a mother plant hasn't matured enough yet for further propagation. I suggest messaging her through the nursery's website, or via Facebook if you're on there. She's a wonderful lady who truly has her heart in the nursery. I had the good fortune of meeting her and her husband last year when she visited the garden where I work in NJ, and she told me that if there's anything I wanted for the cemetery but didn't see on the nursery web page to drop her a line -- not everything made it to the new one, and some things need mother plants to mature before they're offered there. But since you're on the west coast, perhaps check with Burlington Roses as well.

:-)

~Christopher

Thank you Christopher - people are always asking me where to get it - this is good news.

Jackie

fig_insanity....thank you for explaining! It reminds me of the time I went to a neighbour's party (I had never met her before) and didn't realize she was our town's mayor :)

jeri...why is the cemetery's collection highly endangered!?

Because, despite the fact that the cemetery historically had roses ... and that some of the roses there are "legacy" plants that date to the 19th Century, the City in its infinite wisdom has decided that all plants -- ALL PLANTS -- must be minimized.

They decreed a violently harsh pruning ... some of the plants likely won't recover from it.

They would like to have all of them ripped out.

I can't "like" that.

No, and I could not have foreseen how nearly this would break my heart.

What is wrong with those Sacramento city people? That is just crazy.

Shella, are you familiar with the story about the body parts fighting over who was the most important? The brain claimed it was the most important, because it was the smartest and could deal with any situation that arose. The eyes claimed they were the most important because they were the "visionary" and could see and foresee any situation to deal with it. The arms claimed they were the most important because they had the strength to accomplish whatever was required. The fight continued with each successive body part proclaiming itself the strongest, most important, until "the sphincter" decided IT was the most important. To prove the point, it slammed shut and "waste"began backing up. The brain went foggy and lost its reasoning abilities. The eyes grew cloudy and lost their vision. The arms went weak and every other body part began to weaken and fail. The story proves you don't have to be a brain; you don't have to be a visionary; you don't even need to be strong; you just have to be a "SPHINCTER".

So sad, Kim, these power freaks who know nothing about anything that matters.

I've been an admirer of Schmidt's Smooth Yellow ever since I found out about it. While I never set out to collect polyanthas, they do so well here that they have become a go-to rose whenever I need one for a special spot. A poly that is both thornless and yellow is very special indeed and I hope I can get one someday.

Jeri....it's hard for me to even think about such a thing. You know how there is the National Register of Historic Places for buildings? There should be something similar for gardens. Our plants, trees, and gardens are just as much a part of our heritage as buildings!

The city's attitude toward the roses in the cemetery reminds me of my feelings about some of my neighbours :) I've told this story before, but....I live on a designated scenic walking road and my rose garden is huge (80x80 with 150 roses) and right on the street. Sometimes I sit in my upstairs window and watch people as they walk by.

It's unbelievable to me the number of people who walk right by 150 roses in full bloom and don't even turn their heads! I want to open my window and scream out "Philistine!!".

I was shocked when I went to the cemetery garden that it was so empty, yet when I visited the municipal rose garden nearby, it was packed with people. It's really too bad people don't appreciate roses in their natural shapes and sizes.

Anyway, I'm preaching to the choir here :)

Yes. You are Rosylady. But it is balm to my heart.

If anyone locates a source, I think I must add it to my garden. I have a spot in mind.