Griffith Buck Roses

Dr. Griffith Buck was a plant breeder at Iowa State University breeding new varieties of soybeans and corn but roses were his true love and passion. He started breeding roses around 1950 using strains of very cold hardy roses combined with modern hybrid teas and others. He would plant them outside in the field and those that survived harsh Iowa winters of 20-30 degrees below zero with absolutely no protection would be the seedlings he chose to introduce. These are very disease resistant roses and have been tested in Iowa's hot humid summers. Dr. Buck is likened to the artist van Gogh whose paintings were never appreciated in his lifetime. Dr. Buck was also an artist of rose breeding. His goal was to produce roses that were disease-resistant and very hardy. His efforts are highly regarded and have been preserved at the University of Minnesota. While other roses need protection in zone 5, the Buck roses do not. Some protection in Zone 4 is advisable. In order for these roses to be ready to overwinter in zones 4 and 5 they should be planted by June 15th.