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Jack E. Christensen

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Rosa 'Voodoo', 1986

Jack E. Christensen (1949–2021) was an award-winning American rose hybridizer, garden writer and science teacher. He developed more than 80 rose varieties during his career. He was the youngest hybridizer to win an All-America Rose Selections (AARS) award in 1986. His most popular rose varieties are: 'Henry Fonda', 'Gold Medal', 'Midas Touch' and the AARS winner, 'Voodoo'.

Biography

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Christensen was born in Glendale, California in 1949. He showed an early interest in nature and gardening when he was very young. In high school, Christensen won a scholarship to University of California, Los Angeles. He initially planned to become a doctor, but later changed his mind and transferred to Cal Poly Pomona to study Botany.[1]

Christensen's first job after college was at Armstrong Nurseries in Southern California, where according to his wife, Jeanie, "he hoed weeds for a year".[1] He progressed through the company until he became a hybridizer of roses and fruit trees, and vice-president of research. During his career, he developed over 80 new rose cultivars, including 'Henry Fonda', 'Gold Medal', and 'Midas Touch'. Christensen was the youngest hybridizer to win an All-America Rose Selections (AARS) in 1986, with his hybrid tea, 'Voodoo'.[2]

In 2001, Christensen left Armstrong Nurseries and became a gardening writer for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Southern California. He also took a position as a biology teacher at Chaffey High School in Ontario, where he taught for 20 years. On March 10, 2021, at the age of 72, Christensen died after a long illness.[3]

Selected roses

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Pedersen, Erik (19 March 2021). "Remembering Jack Christensen, garden columnist, rose hybridizer, teacher and family man". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  2. ^ Beales, Peter, ed. (1999). Botanica's Roses: The Encyclopedia of Roses. Welcome Rain. ISBN 978-1566491761.
  3. ^ "Jack E. Christensen". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Jack E. Christensen: Plants Bred". Help me find roses. Retrieved 22 February 2022.