- Author: Sharon L. Rico
In 2010, my husband and I traveled to Woodland for the Woodland Library Rose tour, always held in April. On the tour we discovered a gorgeous rose named 'Eden'. This pale pink rose had climbed up two stories of a mid century Victorian home. We put it on our ‘must have' list and talked about it for several weeks. Our 1930's little bungalow sits on a tiny lot, already filled with roses (about 50) along with fruit trees, dahlias, iris, camellias, succulents, geraniums, Mexican petunias, clematis, ferns, a vegetable garden etc. You get the picture, ‘lotsa' plants!
Seeing 'Eden' haunted us until a 2-½ gallon plant jumped into our truck and followed us home. We sacrificed a ten-year-old 'Joseph's Coat' that had struggled for years. It seemed to always have black spot, never really thriving. So to plant 'Eden' into the same area meant we had to dig out and replace soil so we did not move black spot to our new rose. This gorgeous rose gets more beautiful each year as it matures and cascades over the arbor at the end of our front porch.
More about Climbing Eden:
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Rose
Cultivar: Eden Climber
It is also known as ‘Pierre de Ronsard'. It was created by Marie-Louise Meilland and introduced in France in 1985 as part of their Renaissance collection. It was registered in 1987. The plant is described as having luscious creamy light pink and white blooms with a faint green cast. Pests or diseases rarely bother it. It's known for its vigorous growth. It begins blooming in early spring and continues to bloom throughout the warm weather.
This spring it was a show-stopper. The long canes cascaded over the plant bearing large clusters of roses. Cars would stop and photos were taken. Neighbors across the street would sit on their front porch and admire the view of Climbing Eden. It's definitely one of our favorite roses.
Woodland Library Rose Club:
The club was founded in 1989 by a group of rose lovers with a desire to help others learn about growing and caring for roses. So in 1991 the club dedicated a Memorial Garden on the grounds of the Woodland Public Library. Each rose planted in the garden had a memorial plaque. In 1992, the Perimeter Wall Garden of roses was planted around the library. The gardens were extended with the support of the City of Woodland. It was an ambitious project that took years of planning. In 1998, the John Saltsman garden was dedicated. This garden has examples of species, heritage and modern day roses. Metal arches were placed and old-fashioned climbing roses were planted to create a shady stroll. In 2003 the club became an affiliate of the American Rose Society and now has 600 varieties of roses. The club members teach the public about the beauty and cultivation of roses along with a pruning class every January. The home and garden tour in held yearly in April.