Robert Fortune (1812-1880) is responsible for the gorgeous Rosa banksiae blooming in our backyard and all over Austin at the moment.

I love this vine. Xeric. Disease free. Pest free. No thorns. The clouds of tiny butter yellow roses are lovely. I love this plant because it has been so easy to grow. I appreciate any plant that willingly performs in the yard where so many others are reluctant or downright churlish.

Fortune was a Victorian gentleman adventurer. He spent three years discovering, collecting and transporting many of our most beloved garden plants: wisteria, peonies, rhododendrons, lilacs ...

(See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Fortune for a more complete list).

It wasn't easy. He had to brave pirates, storms and some violent anti-colonial mobs. I am sure he told harrowing tales to his fellows over tea.

Did I say: tea? He wasn't just interested in fluffy pretty flowers. The man was a plant spy. He shaved his hair into a queue and learned to speak some Mandarin so he could sneak into the forbidden city and explore outside the boundaries set up for foreigners. On one of his trips he collected and shipped tea plants (20,000) and some knowledgable workers to India leading to a profitable industry in that country.