California shaped rose history through both chance and breeding. In Riverside, Franz Philip Hosp introduced Climbing Cécile Brünner in 1894. Armstrong Nurseries in Ontario introduced Charlotte Armstrong in 1940, and its breeder, Walter Lammerts, went on to create Chrysler Imperial and Queen Elizabeth, the first grandiflora rose.
California is famous for citrus, vineyards, palms and gardens. Some roses were bred here. Others appeared as unexpected mutations in California gardens. Still others came from breeders whose work changed how roses are classified and grown around the world. That history runs from 19th-century Riverside nurseries to Armstrong Nurseries in Ontario and the experimental gardens of Descanso in La Cañada Flintridge. Five roses tell the story.
How did Climbing Cécile Brünner begin in Riverside in 1894?
If you've seen a huge old climbing rose spilling over a porch, wall or pergola in Southern California, there's a good chance it was this one.
The original Cécile Brünner wasn't a California rose. But in Riverside, nurseryman and landscape designer Franz Philip Hosp noticed a vigorous climbing shoot growing from one of his plants, behaving differently from the ordinary shrub. Hosp propagated that natural mutation, known botanically as a sport, and introduced Climbing Cécile Brünner in 1894.
The small pink "Sweetheart Rose" could suddenly climb to great heights, producing masses of delicate pink flowers on long, often nearly thornless canes. Pacific Horticulture lists Hosp's Climbing Cécile Brünner among the surviving 19th-century California roses and notes that old specimens can grow to gigantic size. North Carolina State Extension also records Hosp's 1894 discovery.
The rose suited California's architecture and climate: porches, verandas, garden walls, pergolas and old houses where a climber could become part of the building. It also inspires our own garden fragrances. The California Rose candle from Old California Botanicals takes its cue from the character of old California gardens, including Cécile Brünner.
What happened to Climbing Papa Gontier (Riverside, 1898)?
Four years later, Hosp did it again. This time the rose was Papa Gontier, an older tea rose known for rich rosy-crimson flowers. Hosp found and propagated a climbing sport in Riverside and introduced Climbing Papa Gontier in 1898.
Descriptions at the time praised it as an unusually free-blooming climber suited to California, with rosy-crimson flowers and a deeper carmine center. But it didn't last. Pacific Horticulture notes that it faced competition from other climbing sports of the same rose and eventually disappeared.
That makes an important point about plant history: California didn't merely import famous plants. Its gardens were places where plants changed and were selected, propagated, named and sometimes sent back out into the wider horticultural world.
Why does Charlotte Armstrong (Ontario, 1940) matter?
By the 20th century, California rose development had moved from chance finds in gardens to deliberate breeding programs backed by major nurseries. One of the most important was Armstrong Nurseries in Ontario, California.
Armstrong hired plant geneticist and breeder Dr. Walter E. Lammerts, who helped set up a formal rose-breeding program. The company's own history credits Lammerts with Charlotte Armstrong and Chrysler Imperial, and Armstrong Growers preserves that history today.
Introduced in 1940, Charlotte Armstrong was a deep pink hybrid tea bred from Soeur Thérèse and Crimson Glory, and named for John Armstrong's wife, Charlotte. Archival material from the Armstrong Nursery collection records that more than 2 million plants were sold and that Charlotte Armstrong became the official flower of the City of Ontario.
More important for rose history, Charlotte Armstrong became a parent. Its genetics helped produce later roses including two of the most famous on this list, Chrysler Imperial and Queen Elizabeth, which makes it something like a matriarch of 20th-century American rose breeding.
Where was Chrysler Imperial bred in 1952?
Walter Lammerts bred Chrysler Imperial from Charlotte Armstrong and the dark red hybrid tea Mirandy. It was introduced in 1952 and became famous for deep, velvety red flowers and a strong fragrance.
Lammerts' work was closely tied to Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge, where newspaper publisher Manchester Boddy had assembled a large horticultural collection and brought Lammerts in to breed roses. Pacific Horticulture's history of Descanso Gardens names Chrysler Imperial among the roses Lammerts bred there and describes a rose garden of thousands of plants. It became one of the classic dark red hybrid teas of the postwar era.
That tradition of dramatic red roses still shapes how we think about rose fragrance. Our Big Red Rose Eau de Parfum takes its inspiration from the deep, spicy fragrance of a California rose garden, particularly the classic American red rose Mr. Lincoln.
Why was the grandiflora class created for Queen Elizabeth in 1954?
The last rose helped create a new class of roses. Lammerts crossed Charlotte Armstrong with the floribunda Floradora. The result had the large flowers and long stems of a hybrid tea, bloomed in clusters, and grew into a tall, vigorous plant. It was introduced in 1954 as Queen Elizabeth, named for Queen Elizabeth II.
The American Rose Society explains that Queen Elizabeth was so distinctive that the grandiflora class was created for it, and it was the first rose placed in that class. In U.S. Plant Patent No. 1,259, Lammerts describes crossing Charlotte Armstrong with Floradora and propagating the new rose in La Cañada, California.
Why was California a center of rose breeding?
Southern California's climate let nurseries grow huge numbers of plants, judge seedlings over long seasons and ship roses to gardeners across the country. Companies such as Armstrong became nationally important, while breeders including Walter Lammerts, Herbert Swim and later California hybridizers kept producing new varieties. The Armstrong company history describes hundreds of plant introductions from its breeding programs.
California's role went beyond deliberate breeding. Franz Hosp's climbing sports show another way horticulture changes: a gardener notices something unusual, sees its value, propagates it and gives it a chance to survive.
Why do old California gardens have so many roses?
In much of California, particularly the Mediterranean-climate regions, roses bloom over long seasons. They became natural companions to citrus groves, palms, lawns, verandas, courtyard gardens and the eclectic architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Old neighborhoods in Redlands, Riverside, Pasadena and Santa Barbara still hold roses that outlasted changing fashions in garden design.
Sometimes the plant itself is a piece of history. An enormous Cécile Brünner climbing over an old wall belongs to a tradition that once connected local nurserymen, experimental breeders, big commercial nurseries and ordinary home gardeners.
Bring the California rose garden home
The old California garden still shapes what we make.
- California Rose Lip Balm, 4-pack, in beeswax.
- California Garden Candle, rose, inspired by heirloom California roses including Cécile Brünner.
- Big Red Rose Eau de Parfum, the deeper, spicy character of a classic red rose.
- Rose Lovers Gift Flight, for giving.
Frequently asked questions
Was Cécile Brünner bred in California?
The original Cécile Brünner was not bred in California. The famous Climbing Cécile Brünner is a natural climbing sport found and introduced by Franz Philip Hosp in Riverside, California, in 1894.
Who bred the Charlotte Armstrong rose?
Dr. Walter E. Lammerts developed Charlotte Armstrong for Armstrong Nurseries in Ontario, California. It was introduced in 1940.
Where was the Chrysler Imperial rose developed?
Walter Lammerts bred Chrysler Imperial in California, in work associated with Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. It was introduced in 1952.
Why is the Queen Elizabeth rose important?
Queen Elizabeth combined hybrid tea and floribunda traits so well that the grandiflora class was created for it. The American Rose Society lists it as the first grandiflora.
