From Heartwood Roses, a small farm rose nursery from the Fredericksburg area:

The next big project for Hartwood Roses, since I don’t actually sell roses anymore, will be coordinating the renovation and maintenance of the historic rose collection at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA. I am super excited about being involved with this! Hollywood Cemetery is one of my favorite places, and the roses that grow there are a treasure.

The first step has been to make a map of the current roses. This is being done by the Grounds Foreman. Next step is to use the map to assess the condition of each rose and make a plan for its maintenance/rejuvenation. This plan will lead to a volunteer work day this spring.

I’m also hunting for anyone who has volunteered or has knowledge of the roses at Hollywood, to create an on site archive of the work that has been done there in the past.

This new project fits perfectly with Hartwood Roses’ initial mission … to promote and preserve, and to educate people about, old garden roses … especially those that are rare and/or endangered.

Once we get a plan in place, and set the date for a work day, a call for volunteers is sure to follow.

(the photo is the beautiful and uber-historic ‘Crenshaw Musk Rose’.)