The Howard Rose Garden Planted With Banning Transportation History in Mind By Gloria Leinbach, Garden Gloves Committee Volunteer and Banning Rosarian Photography by Simie Seaman

In 2010, Friends of Banning Museum and The Garden Gloves volunteer group recreated a “Victorian Rose Garden” adjacent to an existing garden consisting of mostly 1960-1970s era modern roses. The new hypothetical garden contains a diverse collection of roses consisting of many varieties and colors that were known during the 1860s to the 1890s, when Phineas Banning built his Greek Revival mansion in Wilmington California. Many of the roses selected are based on Banning’s transportation history, California history, the Los Angeles Times newspaper archives, and books published during the late Victorian era. The history of how these roses made their way into Los Angeles gardens is tied to networks of shipping and railroad systems that connected European and American markets, which then connected east and west coast markets. Plant catalogs and seeds companies expanded with the railroads and for the first time importing European roses, fruit trees, and ornamental plants, which were available across the United States, including Los Angeles. In 2013 Friends of Banning Museum, in an effort to recreate the Golden Age of horticulture and early gardens of Los Angeles, expanded the rose garden to include eight beds of found roses from California’s gold mining towns, homesteads, and cemeteries that pay homage to this Ventura-to-San Diego-and –beyond fame.

On January 1, 1894, the Los Angeles Times described Los Angeles as a city with great potential because of its two transcontinental railroads, salubrious climate, business opportunities, agriculture, and infrastructure. Interestingly, Phineas Banning started his own stage and shipping company in the 1860s and later organized the construction of Southern California’s first railroad, the Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad. One rose in the garden that honors his legacy is “Union Hotel Occidental”. Phineas Banning died at The Occidental Hotel in San Francisco at the age of 56.

Although not well known, this rambling rose with its arching pink fountain of blooms adds historical relevance as well as beauty. With the recent interest in restoring important historical houses and gardens such as the Banning residence, old garden roses have regained some of their popularity. The Friends of Banning Museum are proud of their new “Victorian Rose Garden” section in our wonderful Howard Rose Garden. We are trying to live up to Los Angeles’ historic Western Eden legacy and share our beautiful garden with visitors, garden groups, and all the school children who come to learn about Phineas Banning and early Los Angeles transportation history.

When not under COVID 19 restrictions, the garden is open to the public. If you love gardening you will enjoy the lovely Howard Rose Garden. For more information, visit the museum website at www.banningmuseum.org.The Banning Museum is a facility of the City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks and is operated in cooperation with the Friends of Banning Museum. The Banning Museum is a City, State and National Landmark.

Gloria Leinbach’s Banning Museum Biography

I started growing old roses in the 1990s after joining South Coast Rose Society and the Saturday Old Garden Rose Group at the Huntington Gardens. Additionally, I traveled with the Heritage Rose Foundation and the World Federation of Rose Societies, visiting rose gardens in Lyon, France, Italy, Charleston, South Carolina, New Orleans, Louisiana, Fredericksburg, Virginia and Sacramento, California.

After accumulating about 20 years of experience growing old garden roses (rose hybrids created before 1848), in 2010, the Banning Museum in Wilmington, California asked me if I would help them create a Victorian rose garden adjacent to the existing Howard Rose Garden planted in the 1960s. This opportunity provided me with a focused project while finishing up my Masters Degree in History from CSULB in 2011. Our first garden began with 36 roses, and over the next eight years, our garden volunteer group expanded the collection to 80 roses and counting.

Besides volunteering at the Banning’s Rose garden, I also volunteer at the Rancho Los Alamitos Rose Garden, and consult with Rancho Dominguez’s garden staff. I served as president of South Coast Rose Society for over 10 years (I stopped counting after 10) and also enjoy being a Consulting Rosarian, teach pruning workshops, and help people grow healthier roses.