Montreal Botanical Garden
Roses have been cultivated at the Montreal Botanical Garden since the 1930s. The Rose Garden was officially inaugurated in 1976. The collection has grown since then to become one of the most significant in North America, particularly in its species diversity. Of the 150-200 species taxonomists identify in the genus, 115 species are included in this collection. All but two of these species successfully overwinter at this USDA zone 4 site with no additional protection other than natural snow cover.
The collection is used primarily for display and research. The Garden collaborates with university research partners both locally and abroad. Knowledgeable staff correspond with rosarians and top breeders throughout the world. The Rose Garden has been given the Award of Garden Excellence in 2003 by the World Federation of Rose Societies, attributed in part to the Garden's outstanding collection of rose species and cultivars.
The Garden is currently undergoing a comprehensive verification survey of its Rosa Collection, and its herbarium vouchers are nearly complete. Future goals include expansion of the collection to increase the number of plants derived from wild collected seed of known provenance to include representatives of all species, 90% of the genus, thought to be hardy. The Garden and its collaborators continue to develop propagation protocols including embryo rescue strategies which promise to support these efforts.
Rosa (Roses) Collection
Holder:
Montreal Botanical Garden
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Montreal Botanical Garden website
Director, Gilles Vincent
Michel Labrecque, Curator
Claire Laberge, Horticulturalist/Rosarian
Primary Focus:
Collection represents broad taxonomic diversity including cultivars
Scope:
1,097 taxa, including 115 species
1,198 accessions, 10,000 plants
27% wild-collected taxa
Roses have been cultivated at the Montreal Botanical Garden since the 1930s. The Rose Garden was officially inaugurated in 1976. The collection has grown since then to become one of the most significant in North America, particularly in its species diversity. Of the 150-200 species taxonomists identify in the genus, 115 species are included in this collection. All but two of these species successfully overwinter at this USDA zone 4 site with no additional protection other than natural snow cover. The collection is used primarily for display and research. The Garden collaborates with university research partners both locally and abroad. Knowledgeable staff correspond with rosarians and top breeders throughout the world. The Rose Garden has been given the Award of Garden Excellence in 2003 by the World Federation of Rose Societies, attributed in part to the Garden's outstanding collection of rose species and cultivars. The Garden is currently undergoing a comprehensive verification survey of its Rosa Collection, and its herbarium vouchers are nearly complete. Future goals include expansion of the collection to increase the number of plants derived from wild collected seed of known provenance to include representatives of all species, 90% of the genus, thought to be hardy. The Garden and its collaborators continue to develop propagation protocols including embryo rescue strategies which promise to support these efforts.
Related Publications:
Bruneau, Anne, Julian R. Starr, Simon Joly. Phylogenetic Relationships in the Genus Rosa: New Evidence from Chloroplast DNA Sequences and an Appraisal of Current Knowledge. Systematic Botany(2007), 32 (2): pp. 366-378.
Laberge, Claire. Species Roses at the Montreal Botanic Garden. World Rose News. July 2007.
April 2008
