Morrison Gardens is perhaps best known for the more than 110 cultivars of Heritage, Antique and Old Roses, consisting of over 275 plants lovingly collected, identified, preserved and cared for by the Morrisons. Their collection consists primarily of Old Garden Roses, but does include selected roses introduced after 1900 that display strong "Species" traits.

Heritage roses are roses that originated in the mid 19^th century or earlier. Emmy and Bill ("Rose and Bud") are members of The Heritage Roses Group and charter members of the Heritage Rose Foundation. "The purpose of the Heritage Rose Foundation is to collect, preserve and promote the culture of roses, particularly those that are not known to be available for purchase".

The Morrisons actively propagate and exchange their extensive knowledge, experience and plants. "Rose" is considered an expert in the field and has collected and identified several roses "lost" or in danger of becoming lost. "Bud" is the recovery and propagation specialist.

They welcome your comments, stories, and and are available to help locate or identify "lost" roses.

Old Roses, varieties that date from 1860 or earlier, also referred to as antique roses, are again finding a well deserved place in modern gardens. Many people are regaining an appreciation for roses of the past, especially with the development of David Austin's English Roses, which he describes as 'New' Old Roses.

The attractiveness of old roses grows from their disease resistance, their wonderful fragrances, and perhaps most important of all, their graceful growth habit which makes them ideally suited for the garden. Each class has distinctive traits. In general, roses introduced before the Chinas (Species to Centifolia) are native to Europe. They are cold hardy, and may only bloom once (or twice) during the season. China and Tea roses brought remontancy to rose varieties but compromised their cold hardiness. Therefore their descendants, the Noisettes, Portlands, Bourbons and Hybrid Perpetuals, are remontant but not reliably hardy north of Zone 6. Thankfully, more roses (especially Old Roses) are being grown on their own roots, so even if there is winter dieback to the ground in more northern locations, the plant will survive. Ultimately, you must rely on local knowledge and experience in determining which roses will thrive in your garden.

While many modern roses have a reputation for requiring the devoted attention of a green-thumbed gardener, most Old Roses provide reliable beauty in the garden of beginner and expert alike. They are also environmentally friendly - they require little or no pesticides, most do well in average soils and thrive on organic soil enhancements.

Emmy is also well known for her extensive knowledge of The Healing Herbs, their histories and traditional uses. She maintains a diverse collection in the Herb Garden located within the Heritage Rose Garden. (figure 2)

Several Feature Articles have appeared in the Charlotte Observer covering their Herb Garden as well as the Heritage Rose Garden (see transcripts).

► TRANSLATE EACH PAGE Use the "Translate" button located at the bottom of every page. Translate any page into Español, Français, Deutschen, Italiano or Português.

► PRESENTATION FOR DAVIDSON GARDEN CLUB Improved image display provides option to view large images. Complete with All Digital Images from the garden.

►  WHERE TO ORDER YOUR ROSES  - We do not sell roses, we only collect them. Would you like to purchase a certain rose but can't locate a source?  We can help.

► DETAILED STATE BY STATE USDA ZONE MAPS  - The USDA Plant Hardiness Zones divide the United States and southern Canada into 11 areas based on a 10 degree Fahrenheit difference in the average annual minimum temperature. Locate your zone here.

► PROPAGATING ROSES FROM CUTTINGS - by Dr. Malcolm Manners, Professor of Citrus and Environmental Horticulture at Florida Southern College, where he manages a collection of more than 400 rose varieties and teaches courses in plant propagation. He is Secretary and a Trustee of the Heritage Rose Foundation.

► REDOUTÉ'S ROSES - Here are but a few of the images created by ReDouté. These pages are slower to download, but worth the wait if you love roses. More coming soon!

► ROSE RUSTLING ETIQUETTE - The Basics of 'Polite' Rose Rustling - invaluable tips from the "pros" - The Texas Rose Rustlers. Rule #1 - Don't get caught with your pruners un-sheathed!

► A BRIEF HISTORY OF OLD ROSES - "The Hybrid Tea Roses, accompanied at length by the Floribunda and Grandiflora Roses so influenced by them, have been at the fore of rose progress for about a century now--so long that its forebears and predecessors have become, to many rosarians, mere footnotes rather than what they should be, valid candidates for equal interest."
(by Brent C. Dickerson odinthor@csulb.edu, author, "The Old Rose Advisor")

► OLD ROSES - A class-by-class discussion of the cultivars on display at Morrison Gardens,  courtesy of Brent C. Dickerson.

► ROSE COLORS AND THEIR "MEANINGS"

► LOCATION - Regional maps locating the Town of Davidson, North Carolina, USA.

► WEBSITE AWARDS - Awards received by this website.

► ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS - Special thanks to these individuals and Websites for their inspiration, information and especially the use of selected photographs appearing herein.
 

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