Gardeners Trade Rare Roses… to Help Them Survive!

Collectors and private gardeners are joining forces to save rare roses from going extinct by exchanging plants, like in California, the United States, where an annual auction contributes to the very survival of the flora species.

The Iron Throne – the year’s most sought-after rose – is “special because it is not available commercially and is a unique color combination,” explains John Bagnasco, president of the California Coastal Rose Society and co-chairman of the Save the Roses! project.

Collectors and preservationists gathered in Southern California once again – the auction has been around for 22 years – to bid on some of the rarest roses in the country, thus facilitating the flowers’ survival. Private gardeners and collectors also play the role of facilitators by connecting people with sought-out roses. Nursery collections, institutional collections, and individual collectors have all played a role in preserving roses. “If gardeners don’t do it, who will?”