Moser House Shed Rose

"Moser House Shed Rose" graces the woodshed of a landmark Gold Country home in Calaveras County, California that dates from the 1870's. This mystery rose will surely be identified one day. Thanks to the work of California Gold Country rosarians Fred Boutin, Bev Vierra, Lynne Storm and Judy Dean, this large rambler is being studied by rosarians from California and around the globe. This page summarizes part of their work and research.

Storm and Vierra have uncovered details about the provenance of this rose. Samuel Moser, a prosperous school teacher- turned-hydraulic-miner, bought the home around 1870. With his wife Almena and their three daughters, he lived in the Mokelumne Hill, California, home until his death in 1922. An old etching of the Moser House confirms that the home was, in its time, noteworthy and surrounded by trees and gardens. By digitally enhancing an old photo found in a local historical society, we know Samuel and Almena Moser posed for a photo before "The Shed Rose," attesting to its considerable age. While the exact date of the photo is uncertain, the Mosers' clothing is consistent with the attire of the first two decades of the 20th century. A family photograph published in The Romance of Mokelumne Hill depicts Samuel and Almena Moser dressed in the same style clothing with names family members. Their grand-daughter Harriet, born in 1900 and dressed in a middy, appears to be between 11 and 15 years old. By my reckoning, the apparent age of this child helps date the family photo somewhere between 1910 and 1922, the date of Moser's death.

Members of the Moser family continued to reside in the Moser House until at least 1957. Daughter Eugenia, an avid rose gardener, is mentioned in her sister's obituary that was published that year. Other parts of this naturally watered garden have endured for more than a century. Assuming the original plant hasn't been replaced, "The Shed Rose" is at least 84 years old and probably considerably older - - a rose that large doesn't grow in year.

The bloom form is reminiscent of the wichurana rambler, 'May Queen,' but 'May Queen' has very different shiny foliage. Suggested identifications have included the setigera hybrid, 'Baltimore Belle' or other early hybrid setigeras. A rose photographed by Kent Krugh and tentatively identified as 'Baltimore Belle' bears a striking resemblance to "The Shed Rose." But my two plants of 'Baltimore Belle,' one from Vintage Gardens and a second from Sequoia Nursery, have distinctly different foliage, with more rounded leaflet tips and blooms that are the palest blush, if not white. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the foliage. "The Shed Rose" leaf surface is shinier and less matte - - although it takes the camera lense and not the unassisted eye to see this difference.

"The Shed Rose" and "Arcata Pink Globe," found by Gregg Lowery in Arcata, California, on California's north coast, share similar, if not identical, foliage and bloom form. Both "Arcata Pink Globe" and "The Shed Rose" produced a single bloom at the end of August. Based on the foliage, armature and blooms, I believe they are most likely the same rose.

Of the few early American setigera hybrids, five were blush pink: 'Anna Maria' (Feast 1843); 'Mrs. Hovey' ( Pierce 1846); 'Mrs. Pierce' (Pierce 1850; re-release of 'Mrs. Hovey'?); 'Pallida' (Feast 1843); and 'Superba' (Feast 1843). Thanks to the work of Tom Brown, we know that three were in trade in California before 1860: 'Mrs. Hovey,' 'Prairie Pallida', as it was called, and 'Superba,' which is listed as a noisette. A nice web page showing details of Rosa setigera can be found here.

Your comments and suggestions would be appreciated.

Overall Appearance: This vigorous, once-blooming climber clothes itself in pale pink bloom in late May. In my single visit to the Moser House in mid-May 2005, I detected no distinctive fragrance, unusual for a rose with so many blooms. The foliage appeared completely healthy in springtime. Growth habit is climbing. Cuttings of "The Shed Rose" strike easily and grow rapidly with no fungal disease.
Bloom Form: Blooms are about 2-3 inches, cupped and quartered with a button eye. Color is pale pink. Blooms appear in clusters of at least 7 or 8. Petals are marinate. Other rosarians report the faint scent of baby powder, but I detected none during my visit. "Arcata Pink Globe," which I think is the same variety, does have a light, flowery scent. This is how 'Baltimore Belle' finishes. I photographed "The Shed Rose" mother plant only once and have never had an opportunity to see if the blooms fade to white.
Foliage: The matte, tidy leaves impart the overall impression of medium green, not pewter toned and not nearly so dark as the Albas. Stipules are gland ciliate, petioles glandular. Compare the foliage of a similar rose photographed by Kent Krugh. Leaflets are pointed and more consistently acuminate than 'Baltimore Belle,' which produces the occasional leaflet with an obtuse point. With a hand lense, tiny setaceous prickles appear on the mid-rib of "The Shed Rose." All other setigeras in my garden display a smooth mid-rib. Grown in good soil and fertilized, "The Shed Rose" is the bright medium green typical of Rosa setigera. I grow both the species and the thornless cultivar Rosa setigera 'Serena.' Placed side by side, it is easy to imagine a family resemblance. Here is a small study of a few in the family. Note: another pink, once-blooming climber collected in the Gold Country with the study name "Oneto's Pink Button-Eye Climber," also known as "Raspberry Ripple" and in trade as 'Flora,' bears the same very tidy, shapely, pointed foliage, and, in my opinion, could be a hybrid setigera.
Prickles: The flowering laterals don't appear nearly so heavily armed as the canes from which they spring. The larger canes are distinctly glaucous with two layers of armature: setaceous prickles and small declining prickles in light tan. Unfortunately, I have no detailed information about the basals, their armature or their relative size. I do have a shot of a small cane of 'Baltimore Belle,' which is somewhat plum-colored and lacking the tiny, hairlike prickles. More vigorous mid-season canes of 'Baltimore Belle' are smooth between prickles, lacking the tiney setaceous prickles found on "The Shed Rose."
Buds: Buds are quite small and rounded. Sepals are ovate-acuminate, with the edges pubescent and consistently showing two air-borne "horns." Bracts are acuminate. Here is a large close-up for detailed inspection. Peduncles are glandular. The inflorescence seem to be in panicles, though my photos are far from clear. Compare the buds photographed by Kent Krugh.
Hips: Unfortunately, I have no information about hips because my plants are too small.	Revised 8/29/06

Resources and Acknowledgements

Judy Dean, Lynne Storm, Bev Vierra and Fred Boutin, Personal Communications, 2005-6

Zumwalt, Eve Starcevich and Zumwalt, Pamela Henrietta, The Romance of Mokelumne Hill, Pioneer Publishing Co. (1990), pp. 171-174. Available from the authors at P.O. Box 96, Mokelumne Hill, CA 93524

Photograph courtesy of Pat Toolan, Old Rose Conservator, South Australia. Read about Pat

A Woodland Rose Garden by Kent Krugh

Gregg Lowery, Vintage Gardens

Brown, Tom Rose Introductions To California Before 1860

Buist, Robert The Rose Manual A. Hart and Lippencott, Grambo, and Co. (1854)

Cairns, Tommy ed. Modern Roses XI Academic Press (2000)

Dickerson, Brent The Old Rose Adventurer Timber Press, Inc. (1999)

Ellwanger, The Rose Elibron Classic Replica Edition facsimile reproduction of 1893 edition (2004)

Paul, William The Rose Garden pp. 101-102

Prince, William Robert Prince’s Rose Manual of Roses Coleman facsimile reproduction of 1846 edition (1979)

Shepherd, Roy History of The Rose The Macmillan Co. (1954)