Peter Lambert (rosarian)

Bust of Peter Lambert in Nells Park, Trier

Peter Lambert (June 1, 1859 – February 28, 1939)[1] was a German rose breeder from Trier.

Life

Peter Lambert was born on 1 June 1859 in Trier, Germany. He acquired a knowledge of roses working with his father Nicholas Lambert in the Lambert & Reiter nursery, later Lambert & Söhne (Lambert & Sons). The brothers Johann and Nicholas had started the firm in 1869 with Jean Reiter, a nurseryman. Peter trained at a Prussian school of horticulture and gained experience working in nurseries in France and England. In 1891 he started his own nursery, eventually employing more than seventy workers.[2][3]

In 1900 he married Léonie Lamesch, daughter of the Luxembourg rose breeder. To her he had dedicated one of his dwarf Polyanthas crossing Polyanthas with Noisettes. He maintained good contacts with Luxembourg nurseries (Soupert & Notting, Gemen-Bourg, and Ketten Freres), who distributed his varieties.[2][4]

Peter Lambert helped establish the Europa-Rosarium at Sangerhausen in 1904 and the rosarium in Zweibrücken in 1914. He was also a founder of the Verein Deutscher Rosenfreunde (German Rose Society). He became its director and edited its Rosen-Zeitung 1890–1911.[3] He was a jurist for rose competitions in Saint Petersburg, Paris, Haarlem, London, Lyon and Florence.

Lambert's catalogues in the years 1914-1931 are a valuable treasure trove of the most important roses of his time.[2]

Lambert's rose dedications (over 100 by 1914) make a survey of contemporary German wartime and pre-war society. There are the usual rose people and their relations. Likewise aristocratic and military worthies, though the sabre rattles more loudly than usual: the rose 'Herero-Trotha' celebrates von Trotha's genocidal efforts in German Southwest Africa. Danzig is declared in 1935 to be 'Deutsches Danzig.' There is an "economic adviser," a "financial adviser" and a "confidential adviser," no doubt prominent public servants. Other names show Lambert's interest in poets ('Hoffmann von Fallersleben'), wine-growing areas and chess players.[2]

He died on 28 February 1939.

"Lambert's garden in the walls of the old Benedictine abbey in Trier and his collection of roses … were all destroyed during World War II."[3] After the war, a street in Trier was named after him and a rose garden in Nells Park planted in his honour.[2]

Rose breeding

From the late 1890s Lambert began to breed his own rose varieties, introducing the first ones in 1899. The Alsatian Schmitt's Three Graces – the roses 'Thalia', 'Euphrosyne' and 'Aglaïa'– were promoted by Lambert and provided material for many of his early crosses.

For fifty years Lambert bred original and much admired hybrid teas ('Kaiserin Auguste Viktoria', 'Frau Karl Druschki'), Chinas ('Unermüdliche'), Hybrid perpetuals ('Moselblümchen'), Rugosa crosses ('Schneezwerg'), Pernetianas ('Von Scharnhost'), Bourbon–China crosses ('Adam Messerich') and Multiflora ramblers ('Mosel').

Lambert selected roses for good health by avoiding parents that displayed a weakness for mildew or rust. As a result, a century later his roses remain among the healthiest … In 1905, Lambert named the vigorous, free-flowering and remontant shrub 'Trier' in honour of his home town. He then used 'Trier' to develop a distinct class of large, repeat-flowering Hybrid Musk shrubs and climbers with wonderfully handsome leaves and a deliciously strong scent. These became known as the Lambertianas.[5]

Lambert and his firm survived World War I but

the defeat and humiliation of World War I weighed heavily on him … and he found the 1920s a difficult time to earn a living. His natural curiosity faded, and he failed to keep pace with the innovations of younger rose breeders … he stuck increasingly to his own breeding lines and seldom took in new genes from other breeders' breakthroughs.[6]

Not surprisingly his production of new varieties declined in the 1930s, his own seventies. But the very late 'Mozart' and 'Martha Lambert' are striking and original.

Sortable list of Peter Lambert roses[7]

NameDateTypeColourPhoto
Moselblümchen1889Hybrid perpetualRed
Rheingold1889TeaOrange and yellow
Kaiserin Auguste Viktoria1891Hybrid teaWhite
Mosella1895PolyanthaCream and yellow
Thalia (by Schmitt)1895RamblerWhite
Euphrosyne (by Schmitt)1896Multiflora ramblerPink
Aglaïa (by Schmitt)1895Multiflora hybridLight yellow
Frau Geheimrat von Boch1897TeaCream, pink edges
Hélène1897Multiflora ramblerLilac pink
Oscar Kordel1897Hybrid perpetualCarmine red
Balduin1898Hybrid teaRed
Großherzogin Viktoria Melitta von Hessen1898Hybrid teawhite
Herzogin Marie von Ratibor1898TeaYellow blend
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt1898TeaPink blend
Eugenie Lamesch1899PolyanthaYellow blend
Goldquelle1899TeaYellow and red
Hofgartendirektor Graebener1899Hybrid teaYellow blend
Papa Lambert1899Hybrid teaMedium pink
Léonie Lamesch1899PolyanthaCopper
Frau Syndica Roeloffs1900ChinaDeep yellow
Schneewittchen1901PolyanthaCream
Katharina Zeimet1901PolyanthaWhite
Tiergarten1901Multiflora hybridDeep yellow
Frau Karl Druschki1901Hybrid teaWhite
Aschenbrödel1902PolyanthaLight pink
Domkapitular Dr. Lager1903Hybrid teaSalmon-pink
Frau Lilla Rautenstrauch1903Hybrid teaOrange-pink
Freiherr von Marschall1903TeaCarmine-red
Gustav Grünerwald1903Hybrid teaPink
Morgenrot1903ClimberRed
Philippine Lambert1903PolyanthaPink
Schneekopf1903PolyanthaWhite
Thalia Remontant1903Multiflora hybrid climberWhite
Abelle Weber-Paté1904PolyanthaWhite
Adolphe van den Heede1904Hybrid teaCream
Edu Meyer1904Hybrid teaYellow
Frau Cecilie Walter1904PolyanthaLight yellow
Hélène Videnz1904Multiflora hybridSalmon-pink
Gruß an Zabern1904Multiflora hybridWhite blend
Kleiner Alfred1904PolyanthaYellow
Oberhofgärtner A. Singer1904Hybrid perpetualCarmine red
Otto von Weddingen1904
Unermüdliche1904ChinaPink blend
Trier1904Multiflora hybridCream
Abendstern1905Multiflora hybridWhite blend
Augenschein1905Multiflora hybridYellow–white
Direktor W. Cordes1905Hybrid teaYellow blend
Graf Fritz von Hochberg1905Hybrid teaSalmon-pink
Hermann Raue1905Hybrid teaSalmon-pink
Herrin von Lieser1905Hybrid teaLight yellow
Lucien de Lemos1905Hybrid teaLight pink
Carmen1906Hybrid rugosaDark red
Frau Ernst Borsig1906Hybrid teaCarmine pink
Herero-Trotha1906TeaYellow
Lina Schmidt-Michel1906Hybrid teaPink
Frau Alfred Mauthner1907Hybrid teaPink
Avelsbach1908Multiflora hybridRed and yellow
Frau Geheimrat Dr. Staub1908ClimberDark red
Frau Oberhofgärtner Singer1908Hybrid teaPink blend
Frau Oberhofgärtner Luiger1908Hybrid teaPink and white
Frau Philipp Siesmayer1908Hybrid teaOrange-pink
Großherzog Friedrich von Baden1908Hybrid teaPink blend
Parkfeuer1908Hybrid foetidaScarlet
Philipp Paulig1908Hybrid perpetualDark red
Rankende Miniature1908PolyanthaLight pink
Rose Benary1908Hybrid teaPink and yellow
Adrian Reverchon1909Multiflora hybridCarmine pink
Alsterufer1909Hybrid teaCrimson-carmine
Backfisch1909PolyanthaSalmon-pink
Bettelstudent1909PolyanthaCarmine-red
Cineraria1909PolyanthaRed
Excellenz Kuntze1909Multiflora hybridLight yellow
Excellenz von Schubert1909Multiflora hybridCarmine pink
Frau Alexander Weiß1909PolyanthaPink
Frau Oberhofgärtner Schulze1909PolyanthaDeep pink
Frau Ottilie Lüntzel1909PolyanthaCream
Geheimrat Dr. Mittweg1909PolyanthaPink blend
Gustel Mayer1909PolyanthaRed
Hildenbrandseck1909Rugosa hybridCarmine-red
Kommerzienrat W. Rautenstrauch1909Hybrid foetidaSalmon-pink
Lustige Witwe1909PolyanthaCarmine-red
Mieze1909PolyanthaOrange-yellow
Mme Léon Simon1909Hybrid teaDeep pink
Tip-Top1909PolyanthaOrange-yellow
Trierisch Kind1909PolyanthaPink-mauve
Unser Peti1909PolyanthaPeach-pink
Zigeunerknabe (by Geschwind)1909Bourbon hybridViolet and red
Excellenz M. Schmidt-Metzler1910Hybrid teaWhite blend
Gartenstadt Liegnitz1910PolyanthaPurple-red
Gräfin Stefanie Wedel1910Hybrid teaWhite blend
Freifrau Ida von Schubert1911Hybrid teaDark red
Fürstin von Pless1911Rugosa hybridWhite
Hauff1911Multiflora hybridMauve blend
Goethe (possibly by Geschwind)1911MossScarlet
Schneezwerg1911Hybrid rugosaWhite
Amalie de Greiff1912Hybrid teaCoral-pink
Heine1912Multiflora hybridWhite
Luise Lilia1912Hybrid teaDark red
Oriole1912Multiflora hybridYellow
Arndt1913Multiflora hybrid climberSalmon-pink
Baron Palm1913Hybrid teaRed
Frau von Brauer1913Wichurana hybridWhite
Freifrau von der Goltz1913Hybrid teaSalmon-pink
Freifrau von Marschall1913Wichurana hybridLight pink
Fritz Reuter1913Multiflora hybridCarmine-red
Jona1913Hybrid teaRed
Mannheim1913Hybrid teaunknown
Ökonomierat Echtermayer1913Hybrid teaCarmine pink
Prinzessin Adolf zu Schaumburg-Lippe1913Hybrid teaunknown
Resi Bindseil1913Hybrid perpetualRed
Schiller1913Multiflora hybridPeach-pink
Leonie Lambert1913Hybrid perpetualLight pink
Dr. Bender1914Teaunknown
H. F. Eilers1914Hybrid teaCarmine-red
Herzogin von Calabrien1914Hybrid teaCream
Körner1914Multiflora hybridOrange-yellow
Lessing1914Multiflora hybridPink, white stripes
Margarete Heike1914PolyanthaWhite
Peter Rosegger1914Multiflora climberCoral-pink
Rückert1914Multiflora climberYellow
Prinzessin Hildegard von Bayern1914Hybrid teaLight yellow
Detlev von Liliencron1915Hybrid foetidaCream
Emmy von Dippe1915Hybrid teaYellow-pink
Generalin Isenbart1915Hybrid teaPink
Generaloberst von Hindenburg1915Hybrid teaPink blend
Graf Silva Tarouca1915Hybrid teaCarmine-red
Gruß an Zweibrücken1915Hybrid teaDark red
Helene von Zwehl1915ChinaCoral-red
Kaiser Franz Joseph1915PernetianaOrange–deep pink
Kapitän von Müller1915Hybrid teaCrimson
Kronprinz Ruprecht1915Hybrid perpetualDark red
Von Hardenberg1915Hybrid luteaCream
Weddigen1915Hybrid teaLight pink
Generaloberst von Kluck1916Hybrid teaCarmine-red
Graf Fritz von Schwerin1916Hybrid teaPink
Königin Maria Therese1916Hybrid teaCarmine pink
Kronprinz Wilhelm1916Hybrid teaPink blend
Wieland1916Polyantha hybridRed
Gellert1917Multiflora hybrid climberWhite
Hoffmann von Fallersleben1917Multiflora hybrid climberApricot blush
Uhland1917Polyantha hybridYellow-orange
Hermann Robinow1918PernetianaSalmon-pink
Justizrat Dr. Hessert1918Hybrid teaPink blend
Dr. Helfferich1919Hybrid teaRose pink
Dr. Ing. H. Blohm1919Hybrid perpetualDark red
Heinrich Conrad Söth1919Multiflora hybridDeep pink
Lisbeth Stellmacher1919PolyanthaGolden-=yellow
Adam Messerich1920BourbonRose pink
Marie Henriette Gräfin Chotek1920Multiflora ramblerCrimson
Mosel1920Multiflora ramblerMauve
Von Scharnhorst1921PernetianaLight yellow
Bischof Dr. Korum1922Hybrid perpetualPink and yellow
Chamisso1922Multiflora ramblerLight pink
Frau H. Stakemann1922Hybrid teaunknown
Therese Zeimet-Lambert1923Hybrid teaCarmine pink
Gneisenau1924Multiflora hybridWhite blend
St. Ingbert1926Hybrid perpetualWhite
Studienrat Schlenz1926Hybrid teaRose pink
Druschki Rubra1929Hybrid perpetualred
Ausonius1932Multiflora hybridLight pink
Grimm1932Multiflora hybrid climberLight pink
Heideröslein1932Multiflora hybrid climberSalmon-pink
Mosellied1932Multiflora hybridPurple-red
Rudolf von Bennigsen1932Climberrose-pink
Goldene Druschki1933Hybrid perpetualGolden-yellow
Reichspräsident von Hindenburg1931Hybrid teaPink blend
Gartendirektor Otto Linne1934Polyantha hybridCarmine pink
Kletternde Hermann Robinow1934PernetianaSalmon-pink
Deutsches Danzig1935PolyanthaCarmine pink
Mozart1937Multiflora hybridDeep pink
Aloysia Kaiser1939ClimberYellow and red
Martha Lambert1939PolyanthaRed

References

Notes

  1. Trierer biographisches Lexikon (in German). Koblenz. 2000. p. 246.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Die Welt der Rosen web page on Rosenzüchter Peter Lambert (in German).
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Charles Quest-Ritson, Climbing Roses of the World, Timber Press, 2003, p.100. ISBN 0-88192-563-2.
  4. "Rose growers' companies". Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  5. Charles & Brigid Quest-Ritson, The RHS Encyclopedia of Roses, Dorling Kindersley, 2008, p. 237. ISBN 978-1-4053-3511-9.
  6. Charles Quest-Ritson, Climbing Roses of the World, Timber Press, 2003, p.101. ISBN 0-88192-563-2.
  7. Checked against the online Help Me Find list for the breeder Lambert, Peter.

Bibliography

External links