HelpMeFind Roses, Clematis and Peonies
Roses, Clematis and Peonies
and everything gardening related.
Article (HMF Ezine)Plants ReferencedPhotosReviews & CommentsRatings 
Morey's Pink China
Discussion id : 13-951
most recent 6 SEP 06 HIDE POSTS
 
Initial post 6 SEP 06 by Kim Rupert

I'd mentioned the 1994 letter received from Dr. Morey in this article. I've located a copy of the letter and reproduce it here to document his other information.



It is nice to learn that a lifetime spent in producing new roses is not without moments of vindication. I actually have a large number of personal treasures that I liked too much to abandon and which were originally set aside because they did not conform to current fashion.


The particular rose you mention is an F2 (second generation) of a cross of Janna X Judy Fischer which itself should probably been released but is now extinct. It was a wonderful mother which brought superb foliage into what was essentially a R. chinensis genomic population.


I would be delighted to have you register the variety under the name "Morey's Pink China" giving the parentage as shown above. Needless to say I would appreciate getting a plant of the variety for my personal collection. (I sent Dr. Morey a well rooted, large plant of his rose in response to this letter. KR) It would be nice to have something to show for the time, money and frustration which it and others (e.i. Popcorn) have been more profitable for others than for myself. This seems to be the fate of those who allow the pursuit of beauty obscure the importance of making money.


In recent years I have been working in the vineyard planning and development and am somewhat out of touch. I was not aware that Happenstance was not registered. Some years ago I provided someone who wanted to register it with the essential information. If you would like to also undertake its registration I would try to find my notes. Basically the facts are these: Mrs. Buss, who was the wife of a Stanford History professor (I think his first name was Howard) discovered the original plant beneath a very large plant of Mermaid. Mermaid is a singularly reluctant parent but like Thérèse Bugnet will on very rare occasions set a few seeds. From all I have seen I suspect that Mermaid is a triploid and carries a R. chinensis minima genome.


In any event Mrs. Buss first noted and propagated the variety in the mid to late 1950s. She brought it to my attention in the early 1960s at the suggestion of friends of mine at Sunset Magazine. Mrs. Buss was a very knowledgable person. Her father was the longtime editor of The Rural New Yorker Magazine and her family was much interested in all scientific activities which affected or might affect farmers and farm families. As the wife of a promenent faculty member her garden and the behavior of cultivated plants became her lifelong connection to the soil and the tillers thereof. She was delighted that i was delighted with Happenstance. I produced and distributed as widely as possible plants of the variety and I hope that it is well established in the gardens of perceptive Californians and others whose climate is such that it can flourish.


In times past I have given many un-introduced curiosities to Muriel Humenick. She has a lot in common with Mrs. Buss. There are a lot of interesting things from many countries that she has helped get a start in our gardens.


I sincerely hope the information I have given you serves a useful purpose. It is obvious your interests transcend the ordinary.


Sincerely,


Dennison Morey



Dr. Morey indicated in further correspondence he did have other interesting seedlings. Several attempts to visit him and collect material of them proved futile. Mrs. Morey wasn't well, and between her failing health and his own medical situations, we were never to meet. I can only pray someone "discovered" his "treasures" and is nursing them until the need to identify them grows too large to ignore.


Kim Rupert

REPLY
Discussion id : 12-557
most recent 7 JUN 06 HIDE POSTS
 
Initial post 7 JUN 06 by ParisRoseLady

Kim, You are one heckuva storyteller!  Someone should offer you a book deal--seriously, an anthology of your entertaining and informative rose writings would be a treat!  Re: Morey's Pink, your piece inspired me to pick up the phone practically on the spot to call Caroline at Sequoia to slip one in my order.  So now I have my own Morey's, filling out in a two gallon pot chez moi while I plot and plan its placement in my garden...  Best Always, Claire, St Louis

REPLY
Reply #1 of 1 posted 7 JUN 06 by Kim Rupert
Thank you, Clarie! I appreciate that and am glad you enjoyed my recounting what happened. As for the "book deal", I did put together a collection of articles about ten years ago, which Peter Schneider advertised through his American Rose Rambler. There aren't any copies remaining, but Help Me Find has the thing on a file and permission to reprint it all. Some of the articles have already appeared here in the E Zine. More are to follow, as well as some new material. I hope you, and everyone else enjoys them! Thanks!
REPLY
Discussion id : 9-855
most recent 23 AUG 05 HIDE POSTS
 
Initial post 23 AUG 05 by Cindi
I really enjoyed this. Going to go look up some more pictures and see if its grown in Texas and check out what they say.
REPLY
Discussion id : 8-052
most recent 9 APR 05 HIDE POSTS
 
Initial post 9 APR 05 by William Grant
Wonderful research job! You make me want to get the rose right now.
Thanks, bill grant
REPLY
Reply #1 of 1 posted 9 APR 05 by Kim Rupert
Thanks, Bill, coming from YOU, that's great praise, indeed! As for the rose, I'm surprised you already don't have two or three. Check with Carolyn at Sequoia as she has many of them. I bug her enough about keeping them in stock! LOL! Kim
REPLY
© 2024 HelpMeFind.com