The Migrating Rose
By
Winona I Laird
The other day I was preparing a presentation for Understanding Migration. We as genealogist think of Migration as our ancestors crossing the country from the East coast when arriving from their homeland, to area’s across our country in search of a new life. In my search I find migrating animals and plants, not exactly what I was looking for, I’m thinking more like wagon trains. Then a couple days later I was on a virtual meeting with members of the Genealogy society and we were asked to turn in stories of flowers for the Societies Blog.
Of course flowers, just read about plant migration in my research for the presentation.
“I have a Migrating Rose”.
Well, here’s the story. We lived in Casper, Wyoming in 1961. My husband, Norv, worked for Supreme Bakers and delivered crackers and cookies around the State of Wyoming. One of his routes was to Worland, Wyoming where a Dr. Horsley lived. He grew roses and created new hybrid species. Norv would often stop and visit. Norv loved roses and was always interested in any new roses Dr. Horsley had created. One day when Norv stopped, Dr. Horsley was creating a new hybrid. Norv became very interested, and every trip to Worland he would stop by Dr. Horsley’s to check on the process. Finally, the rose was registered, named Polsum Bitter. Norv purchased a plant, brought it home and planted in our rose garden.
In 1966 we moved to Washington State and sold our home in Casper. Before we moved Norv’s father came over and took the Polsum Bitter rose and planted it in his rose garden.
The first few years living in Auburn, Wa. We lived in an apartment so couldn’t plant a flowers. In 1971 we moved into a house close to Black Diamond, WA. On one of our trips back to Casper we dug up the rose and brought it home with us and planted it. Since we were moving it from the climate in Wyoming to a different climate of Washington we wondered if it would live. It did and flourished.
Okay, now! Yes we moved again to a home at the Lake Meridian area in Kent, and again the Polsum Bitter Rose was dug up and planted at our new home and yes it flourished. My husband gets all the credit and he had a green thumb. We lived in this home for seven years.
My husband had been watching a new home being built three blocks from where we lived and when the home was finished and on the market we immediately we schedule an appointment to look at it and had money down on the home by that evening. We didn’t sell the house where we lived used it as a rental for a few years.
Moving into the new house a we lived there for a year and the next summer Norv went over to the rental and again dug up the Polsum Bitter Rose and brought it to our new house. It is now forty one years later and the Polsum Bitter Rose flourish and blooms beautifully each year.
Winona I Laird
“The Genealogy Granny”
www.genealogyeducationcenter.com
