Harison’s Yellow Rose – an Enduring Pioneer by Melissa Baynes

Harison’s Yellow Rose – an Enduring Pioneer by Melissa Baynes Rosa x harisonii Rivers [ foetida × spinosissima ] Men packed tools, provisions and practical provender, the women; Bibles, quilts and their precious roses.     They were the keepers of memory, carrying the stories of their old homes that would become the new traditions of the territory.... With her rose she shared water while crossing the alkali plains.   In the chill Blue Mountains, curled in a common blanket, she kept her rose from freezing.   Finally, on that great day of arrival on her donation land claim, she would plant her rose;   a symbol of determination and endurance.   Some twenty varieties of roses traveled across the trail... to be planted, watered, cherished and shared. - excerpt from the book "Hatchet, Hands and Hoe" by Erika Calkins Although my love of plants leans towards our mountain natives, I love the history and stories behind the Harison Yellow Rose, which can be found growing wild an