Cemetery rose garden loses some charm

The stump of what was once a gigantic climber -- Souvenir de Mme. Leonie Viennot -- sprouts new canes.

“We had worked for years to find ways to train and support the roses to their best display, and keep the roses out of the paths and from touching the monuments. Nobody is asking any of the rose people anything or telling them anything.”

The bush reduction – or rejuvenation, depending on viewpoint – was supervised by Tom Liggett, a rose expert from San Jose. He was instrumental in the creation of that city’s historic rose garden. Liggett, who wrote a book on rose pruning, believes extremely hard pruning can force an old rose bush to push out strong new canes.

“Some of Tom’s pruning worked very well and the roses have responded with bloom, although on smaller plants,” Clevenger observed. “The climbing and many of the species and other once-bloomers (roses that bloom only once a year) are producing much less bloom on plants that are a shadow of their former magnificence.”

The arches apparently will soon be history, or at least in their former configuration.

When asked for comment, the City of Sacramento issued this statement Thursday:

“The City continues to prioritize preservation of the historic cemetery. The roses in the cemetery were recently pruned to preserve the rose plants’ longevity and health under the expertise of volunteer Tom Liggett.

“The roses will not be allowed to grow back over the remaining arches because the arches were determined to be unsafe and do not align with the City’s historic preservation guidelines.

“The arches will be removed to preserve the historic nature of the cemetery. The City is open to working with cemetery volunteers to find appropriate places to have arches in the cemetery, for example along the perimeter.”

The good news: There are still plenty of roses to see. And many of the severely pruned roses do seem to be recovering, although it will be several springs before they reach their previous size – if ever.

But roses are resilient – just like our city. I saw many reminders of that, too, during my visit.

Pandemics are not new to Sacramento. The 1850 cholera epidemic put more than 600 early residents into the City Cemetery, which opened the year before at the height of the Gold Rush.

Flu pandemics in the late 1800s and early 1900s killed thousands more Sacramentans. Families often lost multiple children; their gravestones reflect those waves of death.

Surrounding those markers is so much life – not just the roses, but thousands of other flowers. The cemetery’s perennial and California native gardens are also in full bloom.

In the absence of foot traffic, wildlife is on full display, too. Birds, bees and butterflies enjoy the warm spring weather and abundant blooms.

Although the roses may not be as spectacular as in past springs, they’re still there for the most part. Even bushes that were chopped way down seem to be attempting a comeback.

That gave me hope, too.