Ultimately, labors that begin in solitude bring the world to the vineyard. Hundreds of visitors attend special events featuring performances by Bulgarian singers or a dance ensemble founded by the Tolmasoffs’ daughter, Tanya. Among the cherished customs observed during the blooming season, visitors are encouraged to add their sentiments to a beribboned ‘Fuyu’ persimmon tree during the Memorial Day weekend. “Remembrances, wishes, and words of hope hang from the boughs for a month,” Jan explains. “Then we bury the tags so those thoughts become part of the tree.” Whatever draws patrons to the Russian River Rose Company—shopping for plants, participating in a workshop or garden tour, or savoring tea infused with rose hips during a weekend celebration—all who enter this oasis take with them a little of its beauty.
Text Melissa Lester
Photography Stephanie Welbourne
To read more about the Russian River Rose Company, see “Petals Flourishing Among the Grapes” on page 69 of the March/April 2016 issue of Victoria.
