Another Rosy Bit

Rose Rustlers. Yup, pardner, there are some dedicated rose enthusiasts in the Lone Star State whose passion is to search out old varieties of roses and propagate them. They drive back roads, look around old cemeteries and generally keep their eyes peeled for a chance to get a cutting of an old rose. It is thought that settlers carried cuttings of their beloved garden plants with them from Europe, and as they moved westward they brought along these old varieties. So, there might be a 200 year old rose (or a clone or seed from it) growing in a forgotten cemetery in TX, just waiting for the rustlers. How cool is that? I like their emphasis on etiquette. They encourage education and information-gathering, and frown on people who cut and run. I don't see any reason why the practice of bringing cuttings over from Europe should be confined to TX, so maybe there's other old cemeteries (especially in the east) that house old rose varieties as well.