Over 200 different types of roses grow on eight
acres of Danielle and Bill Hahn’s 15-acre farm. From the beginning they imagined an old-fashioned rose farm. Both grew up in rosarian families, with each of their grandmothers being rosarians. The family-owned business is named after their family’s most enchanting experiences with roses. It’s truly a family affair, and the Hahns find some of their best moments together, “working the rows.” Walking among their roses brings them together to enjoy the simple pleasures of country life.
“Memories of my grandmother’s fragrant roses
inspired me to select mainly old world roses with enticing scents,” said Danielle Hahn. As I walked “the rows,” I found it hard to concen-
trate on any one rose type. The vibrant colors engulfed me in 360 degrees of splendor. I had to force myself to slow down and deliberately stroll through each row, soaking in the colors, the smells and shapes of this fantastic floral display. In 1998 after eight years of living and working on their farm they first experimented with growing roses
THE VIBRANT COLORS ENGULFED ME IN 360 DEGREES OF SPLENDOR. STROLL THROUGH EACH ROW, SOAKING IN THE COLORS, THE
commercially with 1,000 rose bushes encompassing half an acre of former orchards and horse pasture. “We decided to make a change from farming
avocados and lemons. We were attracted to the ro- mance, splendor and charm of roses. After the initial planting of those 1,000 roses it was clear that we had many things to learn,” she said. “It was also clear that we were onto something. People loved our roses. We made every mistake in the book, but fortunately, roses are very hardy and forgiving and they thrived despite all of our mistakes.” Rather than produce the industry standard long,
TOP, an indoor workspace on the farm allows for creating floral displays and other rose creations. ABOVE, some of Rose Story Farm’s 18,000 rose bushes grow on a hillside. OPPOSITE PAGE, 15 acres of roses make for displays in every possible way. Open field, bunches, bouquets and a trellis.
single-stem roses with little or no fragrance, today the Hahns’ 18,000 rose bushes̶mainly old world roses, European varieties and pre-1950 American hybrid teas̶are varieties that people rarely see outside private gardens. The Hahns encourage their roses to produce multiple branches possessing sprays of buds and blooms resulting in roses of unusual shapes, colors and scents. They’re also testing a number of not-yet-released rose varieties for their growing characteristics and suitability for Southern California. “When we cut our roses for our clients,” explained
16 CARPINTERIAMAGAZINE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102