The Rose in America

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue…The quintessential flower, symbolizing love and beauty, has been grown for centuries around the world. This book details the effort to popularize roses for the amateur gardener in the U.S. during the early 20th century. McFarland writes about a “dooryard roses," roses adaptable for the U.S. climate. For years, McFarland operated a rose test garden at his home in Breeze Hill, Pennsylvania. This book would have been useful to the homeowner who wanted to try growing roses, describing both the rewards and challenges. This and other books about roses might explain how they became so popular with American gardeners. However, the author was not your typical rosarian. He was also a printer, photographer, founder and President of the American Civic Association (ACA) and President of the American Rose Society from 1930 to 1932. He was part of the City Beautiful Movement, a type of urban planning philosophy, which began at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Also, through his leadership role in ACA, he helped lead the effort that resulted in the 1916 Congressional legislation establishing the National Park Service.