- 8 - 
Progress With Hardy Roses 
The State Rose Garden is located at Sioux Falls. There and at Brookings 
some 20 acres are devoted to originating roses that will be hardy without winter 
protection, also, to originating hardy thornless rose stocks. The Rose Annual of the 
American Rose Society with several thousand members in America and many foreign lands, 
published the fact that South Dakota is the first state in the union to have a State 
Rose Garden. 
The progress in Hardy Roses at this station was recognized June 29, 1953, at 
the annual meeting of the American Rose Society at Des IvL'ines, Iowa, in awarding 
First Prize to N. E. Hansen for 41 new seedlings. The leading rose in this collect¬ 
ion has been named Lillian Gibson. 
Much hybridized rose seed was harvested from the breeding experiments in 
1938 and 1939. The rose-breeding experiments are carried on with a Federal appropri¬ 
ation; the land is furnished by the state. The nurserymen of America with 25 million 
roses to bud annually would like hardy smooth-wooded stocks. To originate such stocks 
is also a part of the work. 
Yawa Rose - Offered for the first time. A sister to the Pax lola rose. 
Pedigree: A^ci Bblrni ( a red multiflora from Czecho-Slovakia) x Bemidji, Minnesota, 
Rosa blanda pollen. (Yawa: the Sioux Indian w^ord for "esteem"). This is not a Pax 
rose as the main stem is thorny, especially near the base. But all the side shoots 
are smooth or nearly so. A tall, wide-spreading open-habit pillar rose with 9-foot 
stems; a very free bloomer in June and early July. Color a delightful light coral 
pink, quite double, 58 petals, flowers fragrant, two inches across, in clusters from 
4 to 12, on the side shoots v;ith 8 to 12 inch stems. A good rose for corsages for 
small bouquets. Apparently no seed hips are formed, indicating that in such combina¬ 
tions the Pax or thornless character must be obtained in the first cross. Perhaps 
the pollen wall be useful. Only scions available. Per foot, $1.00. 
Lillian Gibson Rose- Introduced 1938. Pedigree: Wild rose ( Rosa blanda ) 
from Wilton, northern Minnesota x Red Star (a red Hybrid Tea) pollen. This rose 
turns out to be very productive; a strong sprout planted last year bore 31 flowers 
this year. This rose was the sensation at the Sioux Falls Show, June, 1937. The 
flowers are large, double, over 40 petals, a beautiful lively rose pink, about three 
inches across with delightful rich fragrance. A very abxmdant bloomer in late June. 
Plant of strong upright stuu^dy growth. The plant is spereely thorny on young shoots, 
with scattered thorns on the old shoots. Available stock: 5 own-root sprouts; 9 
one-year root-grafts on Rosa blgmda (Bonanza Springs, Minnesota) stock: each $1.00. 
Progre ss in Hardy Double Thornless Roses 
These experiments with many thousands of rose seedlings show it to be fairly 
easy to get the thorns off of the wood, but very difficult to get the bristles from 
the rachis or midrib of the leaf. Evidently these are tv/o quite different problems. 
The three Pax Roses are only a beginning. Pax is the Latin for peace. 
Thorns are not necessary in Roses. These Pax Roses are nearly tlironless. Eventually 
Pax may be declared in the Rose gardens of the vrorldi 
100^ Thornless Roses 
In clearing tvmety acres of rose seedlings in 1932 in the State Rose 
Garden at Sioux Falls and at State College, a few 100 per cent thornless rose plants 
v;ere selected for further work. Both leaves and wood are smooth. These were intro¬ 
duced in 1936. The flowers are single, pink, fragrant. The abundant red rose-hips 
in autumn and winter are noteworthy. These plants are of sturdy upright habit and 
are now being crossed vdth many large double-flowered varieties in other colors. In 
their present condition they are pleasing ornaments1 shrubs that will endur 50 below 
zero Fahrenheit without protection, and which may be found useful by the rose- 
breeders in eliminating thorns. 
In 1937 out of 11,053 seedlings of these 100% thornless roses, 613 seedlings 
or about 5^%, were entirely smooth even the first year from seed. The hope is to 
make tliis character come true to seed and tlia.t it will be a dominant ho.mozygote in 
hybridization Vvdth standard double roses. 
Strong plants of the 100% thornless roses noted in S. D. Bulletin 309, 
each 50 cents. 
