In honor of his wife’s 85th birthday, John Hendrickson had a pink, fragrant tea rose genetically engineered and named the “Marylou Whitney Rose.”
Marylou Whitney, Hendrickson’s wife, is a well-known philanthropist, thoroughbred owner and Saratoga socialite. The dedication of a brand new flower species, along with its planting in the Yaddo gardens this past Sunday, July 10, was a touching gesture of love.
And where would be a more fitting place to show such feelings as the Yaddo Gardens? These beds of 800 roses, many first planted 100 years ago, were a gift from Spencer Trask to his wife Katrina in 1900.
The Trasks, like Hendrickson and Whitney, were well-known beneficiaries of Saratoga Springs. Both couples made enormous donations to fund organizations and to found new establishments.
The new rose will be planted in the southwest corner in Yaddo, tended by the 180 volunteers of the Yaddo Garden Association. Last year, these volunteers put in over 5,000 hours of work to maintain the pristine, beautiful gardens we can see today.
The gardens are open daily from 8am to dusk. Though Hendrickson and Whitney donated four rose bushes to the garden, visitors will have to wait before they can see the pink flowers – the bushes have not yet bloomed.
For more information about Yaddo, including how to volunteer for the Garden Association, contact (518) 584-0746.
Have you visited the Yaddo Gardens? What kind of flower would you like made for you? Tell us your thoughts!
