George Schoener

George Schoener, or Georg Schöner (March 21, 1864 – October 2, 1941) was a German-born Roman Catholic priest who became known in the United States as the "Padre of the Roses"[1] for his experiments in rose breeding, especially in the use of wild species.

An aunt enabled him to emigrate to America, where he became a priest in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Afflicted with illnesses, he ended up in Brooks, Oregon in 1911, where the rose growing activity in nearby Portland caught his interest.

He searched the nearby hills for specimens of wild species such as Rosa nutkana.

A fire in 1915 destroyed church and house, and in 1917 he moved to Santa Barbara, California.