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All kidding aside, finally, nearly two decades after his death, one of the world’s greatest rosarians is receiving the public recognition he so richly deserves.
(Editor's Note: This article was originally published on February 18, 2009. Your comments are welcome, but please be aware that authors of previously published articles may not be able to answer your questions.)
Griffith J. Buck (1915-1991), affectionately known as "Griff," was a rose researcher/hybridizer at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, and professor of horticulture at ISU from 1948 to 1985. As a youngster, Griff once paid a quarter to the local YMCA to get a pen pal, but none of the persons he wrote to sent a reply. He decided on a whim to simply write to a name and address he found in a library book. It happened to be that of a rose nurseryman in Spain, Pedro Dot. Dot received the letter and asked his niece, Maria Antonia, to respond and to include notes and tips on rose growing. She told Buck how to hybridize roses and urged him to give it a try. The resulting friendship would span three generations with the Dot family. Pedro Dot became his mentor, and Buck eventually named a rose after him. (See 'El Catala,' "the Catalonian," below. Dot was a very proud Catalonian.)
Mouse over photos for variety name
After a brief stint as a school teacher and service in the military, Buck entered Iowa State College in January of 1946, enrolling in the horticulture program. He received his doctorate in horticulture and microbiology in March of 1953 and attained the rank of full professor in 1974.
Dr. Buck began his rose breeding program with a rose from Siberia, Rosa laxa 'Semipalatinsk,' obviously very winter hardy, but also a repeat bloomer and quite fragrant. He crossed it with some American rose varieties, but wasn't happy with the result. He decided to write to Wilhelm Kordes, the famous rose hybridizer in Germany, explaining that he was trying to develop hardier roses and how his results were less than promising. Kordes replied that the problem lay with one of the seed parents he was using. He sent Buck a sweetbrier hybrid, 'Josef Rothmund'.
When this rose bloomed, Buck crossed it with his Siberian Rosa laxa. One of the resulting plants was pink like 'Josef Rothmund,' but with fewer petals. This became the parent that Buck began crossing with existing garden roses.
Not only did he work with the existing rose gene pool to develop beautiful roses, he also practiced survival of the fittest. The crosses that turned out to be susceptible to disease or were not bone hardy were discarded. It's difficult to believe, from our perspective today, that this was a new and radical concept. Up until that time, serious rose growers had to devote much time and possess great skill in order to make most of their roses survive and thrive. It was Buck who changed all that.
The roses resulting from Buck's breeding program are not only disease and drought resistant, but many are able to survive and thrive no matter what the weather. His collection provides solutions and options for landscapes in every imaginable climate.
International rose hybridizers have incorporated Buck roses into their breeding programs since the 1980s, but, ironically, his roses have not been widely available in the U.S. Fortunately, for those of us who grow roses, nurseries have recently made a concerted effort to bring 77 of the 80-some Buck roses into the horticultural trade this year. Reiman Gardens at ISU currently grows 75 of these varieties. One variety, Carefree Beauty, (remaining true to its name) has been growing vigorously in our own gardens for at least 25 years. My mother-in-law received it as a special birthday gift from one of her daughters.
There are over 60 sources from which Buck Roses are currently available. These include nurseries in the US, Canada, England, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, and India. The Sam Kedem nursery in southern Minnesota (see listing below) is offering 64 different Buck roses for sale this year. Why not try one or several in your garden yet this season? If you buy the roses potted, they can be planted at any time during the upcoming growing season. Be sure to ask if the plants are "own root." The advantage of this kind of rose over the grafted kind is that if the plant should die back to the ground, it will return in the spring, true to variety. Shoots originating from the roots of grafted plants will be those of the stock onto which your rose was grafted, rather than those of the variety you bought, and it will generally be greatly inferior, with few, if any, blossoms.
Why not add a few of the wonderful roses pictured here to your garden this year?
Mouse over photos for variety name
Photo by author from his garden Honey Sweet
Photo by author from his garden Prairie Harvest
Photos, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of Mary Buck and the Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
Photo of Carefree Beauty thumbnail is by the author from his garden.
If you decide to order from one of the companies listed below, you can check out mail order companies right here at Dave's Garden by clicking on the "watchdog" image:
Questions? Comments? Please scroll down to the form below at the end of the following table. I enjoy hearing from readers!
Where in the World can I buy Buck Roses? Includes listings from Canada, Denmark, England, India, New Zealand, Norway, and The Netherlands
(This table appears on the ISU Buck Roses Web site. Entries have not been updated recently.)
CALIFORNIA
Arena Rose Company 525 Pifne Street Box f3096 Paso Robles, CA 93447 ph 805-238-3742 fax 805-227-4095 Web Site http://www.arenarose.com Note: To access Web sites, copy the URL and paste it into your browser.
B & B Nursery & Propagators 2578 County Road I Willows, CA 95988 ph 530-934-2676 fax 530-934-2676 Web Site http://www.bandnursery.com
Hines Nurseries PO Box 1449 Interstate 80 ad 3920 Lagoon Valley Road Vacaville, CA956ff88 ph 800-737-8140 fax 707-451-8861
Michael's Premier Roses 9759 Elder Creek Drive Sacramento, CA95829 ph 916-369-7673 fax 916-361-1141 Web Site http:// www.michaelsrose.com
Otto & Sons Nursery 1835 E. Guiberson Road Fillmore, CA93015 ph 805-524-2123 800-675-6886 fax 805-524-2165 Web Site http://www.ottoandsons-nursery.com/ Wholesale
Regan Nursery 4268 Decoto Road FremontCA94555 510-797-3222 800-249-4680 fax 510-793-5408 Web Site http://www.regannursery.com Marsha Hildebrand and Larry Thompson
Roses of Yesterday 803 Brown's Valley Road Corralitos, California95076 ph 831-728-1901 Web Site http://www.rosesofyesterday.com/
Russian River Rose Company 1685 Magnolia Drive Healdsburg, CA95448 ph 707-433-7455 Jan and Michael Tolmasoff
The Rose Ranch PO Box 326 La Grange, CA95329 ph 209-852-9220
Vintage Gardens 2833 Old Gravenstein Hwy South Sebastopol, CA95472 ph 707-829-2035 fax 707-829-9516 Web Site http://www.vintagegardens.com Gregg Lowery
Weeks Wholesale Rose Grower, Inc., 430 E. 19th Street UplandCA91784 ph 909-949-4409 800-992-4409 fax 909-920-0308 Web Site http://www.weeksroses.com Wholesale
CONNECTICUT
White Flower Farm Box 50, Route 63 Litchfield, CT 06759-0500 tel:1-800-503-9624 9 to 9 Eastern Time Free catalog Web Site http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/
FLORIDA
Giles Rose Nursery 2611 Holly Hill Cut-off road Davenport, FL33837 ph and fax 863-422-8103
Inter-State Nurseries 1800 Hamilton Road Bloomington, IL 61704 ph 309-663-9551
IOWA
Town and Country Market 308 Main Street Slater, Iowa 5024 ph 515-228-3131
The GardenCenter 17379 Hwy G58 Milo, IA50166 641-942-6229
Sherman Nursery Company PO Box 579, 1300 Grove St Charles City, IA 50616-0579 ph 641-228-1124 800-747-5980 fax 800-361-7759 wholesale only
MAINE
North Creek Farm 24 Sebasco Road Phippsburg, ME04562 ph and fax 207-389-1341 Suzy Verrier and Stacy Verrier limited shipping
The Roseraie at Bayfields P.O. Box R Waldoboro, ME04572-0919 ph 207-832-6330 Web Site http://roseraie.com/
Fox Hill Nursery 347 Lunt Road Freeport, ME04032 ph 207-729-1511 fax 207-729-6108
The Roseraie at Granite Ridge P. O. Box R Waldoboro, ME04572-0919 ph 207-832-6330 fax 800-933-4508 Web Site http://www.roseraie.com
MARYLAND
Carroll Gardens 444 East Main Street Westminster, MD 21157 410-848-5422 800-638-6334 fax 410-857-4112 Alan L. Summers
MICHIGAN
Great Lakes Roses 49875 Willow road Box 65 Belleville, MI 48112-0065 ph 734-461-1230 fax 734-461-0360 shipping in Michigan only Web Site http://www.greatlakesroses.com
Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc. 12601 120th Ave Grand Haven, MI 49417-9621 ph 616-846-4729 800-633-8859 fax 800-224-1628 Web Site http://www.SpringMeadowNursery.com/ wholesale only
MINNESOTA
Bailey Nurseries, Inc. 1325 Bailey Road St. PaulMN55119-9199 ph 612-459-9744 800-829-8898 fax 612-459-5100 wholesale only
Sam Kedem Nursery 12414-191st St. E Hastings MN 55033 ph 651-437-7516 Fax (651) 437-7195 Web Site http://www.kedemroses.com/
Orion Farm 4186 75th Street S.W. Waverly, MN55390 ph 763-658-4180 Web Site http://www.orionfarm.com/
MISSOURI
Moffett Nursery & Gift Shop 6451 N. E. State Route 6 St. Joseph, MO64507 ph 816-233-1223
Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co 110 Capital Street Yankton, SD 57079 cust service only 605-665-1671 orders only 605-665-1930 fax 605-665-9718 Web Site http://www.gurneys.com
Perennial Passion, The Plant Lover's Nursery The Plant Lover's Nursery; Specializing in perennials, hardy shrub roses and uncommon plants 1510 West 51st Street Sioux Falls, SD57105 ph 605-335-3526 fax 605-335-2215 Open May through October
TENNESSEE
The Appalachian Rose Nursery 782, Old Belltown Mill Road Tellico Plains, TN37384 ph 423-253-3797 Ronald Johnston Web Site http://www.appalachianrose.com
TEXAS
The Antique Rose Emporium 3300 Lueckemeyer Rd BrenhamTX77833-6453 ph 409-836-9051 800-441-0002 fax 409-836-0928
David Austin Roses Limited 15059 Highway 64 West Tyler, TX 75704 903-526-1800 800-328-8893 fax 903-526-1900 Web Site http://www.davidaustinroses.com
Chamblee's Rose Nursery 10926 US hwy 69 North Tyler, TX 75706-8742 ph 800-256-7673 fax 903-882-3597 Web Site http://www.chambleeroses.com
Certified Roses, Inc Co-Operative Rose Growers, Inc. 100126 US hwy 69 N PO box 4400 Tyler TX 75712 903-593-0234 ph 800-527-8708 fax 903-595-6199 wholesale only
Hand Rose Farms 13312 CR 433 Harvey Road Tyler, TX 75706 ph 903-882-7165 800-749-7045 fax 903-882-1418 wholesale
Briggs Nursery 4407 Henderson Blvd. Olympia, Wa98501 ph 360-352-5405 fax 360-352-5699 Web Site http://www.briggsnursery.com/
Russian Roses for the North 5680 Hughes Road Grand Forks, B.C. VoH 1H4 Canada or PO Box 339 Danville, WA 99121-0339 ph and fax 250-442-1266 Web Site http://www.russianroseforthenorth.com
Hole's Greenhouses & Gardens Ltd. 101 Bellerose Drive St Albert Alberta T8N 8N8 Canada ph 403-419-6800 fax 403-459-6042 does not ship to USA
Dominion Seed House PO Box 2500 Georgetown, Ontario L7G 5L6Canada ph 905-873-3037 fax 800-282-5746 Web Site http://www.dominion-seed-house.com does not ship to USA
Classic Miniature Roses Box 2206 Sardis, B.C V2R 1A6 Canada ph 604-823-4884 fax 604-823-4046 does not ship to USA
J.C. Bakker and Sons Ltd. 1209 Third Street RR 3 St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 6P9Canada ph 905-935-4533 fax 905-935-9921 Web Site http://www.jcbakker.com
Greenbelt Farm RR 5 Mitchell, Ontario N0K 1N0 ph and fax 519-347-2725 no shipping
Hortico 723 Robson Road RR #1 Waterdown, OntarioCanadaL0R 2H1 ph 905-689-6984 or 905-689-3002 fax 905-689-6566 Web Site http://www.hortico.com/
Humber Nurseries Ltd RR 8 Brampton, Ontario L6T 3Y7 Canada ph 905-794-0555 fax 905-794-1311 Web Site http://www.gardencentre.com limited shipping within Canada
Martin & Kraus 1191 Centre Road box 12 Carlisle Ontario L0R 1H0 Canada ph 905-689-0230 fax 905-689-1358 Web Site http://www.gardenrose.com
Pickering Nurseries 670 Kingston Road Pickering Ongario L1V 1A6 Canada ph 905-839-2111 fax 905-839-4807 Web Site http://www.pickeringnurseries.com
Quebec Multiplants 755 rue Marais Quebec, QuebecG1M 3R7Canada ph 418-687-1616 fax 418-687-2227 Web Site http://www.quebecmultiplants.com
Richlyn Nurseries Ltd PO Box 326 Fergus, Ontario N1M 3E2 Canada ph 519-843-5394 800 645-4448 fax 519-843-7630 does not ship to USA
Old Heirloom Rose Nursery P.O. Box 9106, Stn. A Halifax, N.S. B3K 5M7 ph 902-471-3364 Web Site http://oldheirloomroses.com
OTHER INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY SOURCES
A.J.Landsnes Gamle Drammensvei 269 1383 Asker NORWAY ph +47 66 78 27 93 fax +47 66 78 00 10
Peter Beales Roses London Road Attleborough, Norflok NR17 1AY ENGLAND ph (01953) 454707 fax (01953)456845 Web Site http://www.classicroses.co.uk
De Ruiter's New Roses International B.V. Dwarsweg 15, 1424 PL De Kwakel THE NETHERLANDS ph 31 297-341063 fax 31 297-361175 Web Site http://www.deruiter.com greenhouse roses for the cutflower trade
K.S. Gopalaswamiengar Son 177 V Main Road, Chamarajpet, Bangalore 560 018 INDIA ph 080-6520440 fax 080-6603860
Ellen & Hugo Lykke's Rosenplanteskole Hønebjergvej 31 Søby, 8543 Hornslet, DENMARK ph 45 86 97 46 29
Tasman Bay Roses Ltd PO Box 159 Motueka, NEW ZEALAND ph and fax 03-528-7449 Web Site www.tbr.co.nz,
Warley Rose Gardens Ltd. Warley Street, Great Warley Brentwood, Essex CM13 3JH ENGLAND ph (01277)221966 fax (01277) 262239 export to EU countries
An enthusiastic gardener for over 50 years, my first plant was a potted Ponderosa Lemon tree ordered from a comic book ad at age 15. I still have it, and it’s still bearing lemons! My wife and I garden on 3/4 of an acre, both flowers and vegetables. Although our garden is private, it's listed with the Smithsonian Institution in its Archives of American Gardens and is on the National Register of Historic Places. We garden organically and no-till. Our vegetable garden contains a seed bank of vegetables brought to this country from Germany in the mid-1800s. For more info: http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/m/LarryR/. Photos that appear in my articles without credit are my own.
