Sonoma County ~ A Vintage Rose ‘Terroir’ by Jane Rogan
By Jane Rogan Dwight
The rose is arguably the most poetic of flowers. It is the hallmark of Spring, bursting on the scene in April and May, boasting singular beauty and metaphorical richness in every phase, from youthful bud to mature bloom. Thorns protect it, fragrance and color attract insects who live in symbiotic relationship.
Of course, not all roses are created equal.
In Sonoma County, we are known for our passionate horticulturists. Our most famous horticulturist, Luther Burbank, cultivated “Joseph’s Coat” and the “Burbank” rose – among many other plant varieties. Burbank called Sonoma County “the chosen spot of all this earth.” Those who know their roses are familiar with Rayford Reddell’s legendary work at Petaluma’s Garden Valley Ranch. At the height of his career, Reddell’s most fragrant roses attracted such celebrities as Princess Diana, Caroline Kennedy and Martha Stewart. Garden Valley Ranch is now owned and operated by Jessica and Justin Yau, a brother and sister team who acquired it a year ago from Mark Grim. The Garden Valley Ranch property has a long and interesting history dating back to the 1850s.
Further north, nestled in the well-traveled Russian River wine appellation just off Westside Road, Jan and Michael Tolmasoff have been growing some of the most fragrant roses in the world on some of the richest soil in California since 1976. The birth and growth of their garden business, Russian River Rose Company, is another captivating Sonoma County story.
I had the opportunity to visit with Jessica at Garden Valley Ranch and Jan at Russian River Rose Company, with a guest appearance by husband-Michael. Here is some information for our readers.
Garden Valley Ranch
Jessica answered the bell at her petit garden gate in tall muddy boots and a big floppy hat. She was watering; a job that takes hours on her five-acre ranch. White doves fly out of the bell tower and demand I look up to notice the mid-19th century farm buildings, small and large, in the center of what feels like an old Victorian town complete with train depot.
We walk past rows of 5-gallon bare root roses on our way to the potting room, a place that takes a page out of the Pottery Barn catalog: Sonoma County rustic-chic. Jessica offers me a cold Yerba Matte from the cooler and tells me about the antique building elements in the room. Wood planks from original buildings were recycled to make attractive shelves and tables. Drawings and water colors depicting the 1850s train depot are framed and hung. The natural, indirect light adds to an atmosphere where I could spend hours happily potting plants.
From there Jessica takes me to the Carriage House. It is a beautifully restored, 2-story building that seems to be made for Sonoma County event parties. The wide barn doors slide apart revealing a porch that overlooks an expanse of the front garden.
On this afternoon Jessica gives me the complete tour. We made our way to a lovely, Victorian-inspired bedroom suite, where brides can dress; and to the quaint train depot, where grooms may dress. The depot especially made me envious of a quality of life we no longer see in public transportation. The approach to the wedding gazebo is surrounded by what will be hundreds of fragrant white rose bushes in May. The secret garden behind the gazebo features arbors of climbing roses and an exquisite fountainhead from The City of Paris department store in San Francisco. Set in the middle of one of the gardens behind the Carriage House, is a large, meandering koi pond.
Where have all the roses gone?
In her articulate, soft-spoken way, Jessica tells me about the declining fate of the American rose industry. She refers to a Washington Post story, published in February and written by Damien Paletta. It is subtitled, “How the rose trade lifted Columbia and nearly erased an American industry.” Yes, Columbia. Once a thriving business in the U.S., mass rose cultivation moved to Bogota, Columbia in the 1980s. Infamous in the 1980s for the growth of violent drug cartels who shipped cocaine by the ton to the United States, the Columbia drug culture provided jobs, supported villages and infected North America with its products. In the effort to curb the drugs coming from Columbia, the Bush administration passed new trade laws to aid Columbia in starting up its own rose production. It was successful. These roses, the ones you buy in grocery stores, are being shipped by the millions to sate the American appetite for low priced bouquets (Damien Paletta,“In Rose beds, Money Blooms,”The Washington Post; February 10, 2018.)
In case you haven’t noticed, or don’t know any better, the roses from Columbia are not fragrant. So, if it’s fragrance you’re missing in your bouquets, specialty roses from Garden Valley Ranch and Russian River Rose Company are two places to buy in Sonoma County.
