The garden plays host to many antique roses that were found elsewhere but seem to especially thrive here, such as the white 'Katharina Zeimet,' the pale-pink climber 'Félicité et Perpétue,' and the yellow 'Aviateur Bleriot' -- one of the most beautiful of the old varieties. Watkins was particularly fond of chestnut roses (Rosa roxburghii), which she planted throughout her garden.

Some of the most illustrious roses in Watkins' collection, such as 'Rosa Mundi,' date back to the Renaissance and Middle Ages and are fraught with romantic and historical associations. The legend of lost love that links this rose to the 12th-century King Henry II is as striking as its striped crimson-and-pink blossoms. Mid-19th-century favorites, such as 'Duchesse de Brabant' and 'Souvenir de la Malmaison,' also flourish in the storied garden, with blooms ranging in color from creamy white and shell pink to lilac and deep burgundy.

Before these antique roses earned their places in Watkins' garden, they proved themselves in much tougher neighborhoods, persisting for generations in competition with wild plants. As a result, says Shoup, "many of the weaker ones are gone. The ones that survived are the best, time-tested plants."

Maintaining these roses in the style Watkins pioneered is labor-intensive. Ellen, who acquired her love of roses while visiting England, spends much of her time working in the garden. In a fitting tribute from one rosarian to another, she donated several plants to a garden in Hillsborough that Watkins established in memory of her husband. Like her tenacious roses, Watkins' garden legacy endures.