''Rosa'' 'Henry Fonda' (aka JACyes) is a bright yellow

Hybrid tea rose Hybrid tea is an informal horticultural classification for a group of garden roses. The first hybrid tea roses were created in France in the mid-1800s, by cross-breeding the large, floriferous Garden roses#Hybrid perpetual, hybrid perpetuals with ...

cultivar, bred by American hybridizer, Jack E. Christensen in 1995. The rose was named for film and stage actor,

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor whose career spanned five decades on Broadway theatre, Broadway and in Hollywood. On screen and stage, he often portrayed characters who embodied an everyman image. Bo ...

. It was introduced in the U.S. by Bear Creek Gardens, Inc. in 1996.

Description

'Henry Fonda' is a tall upright hybrid tea rose, in height, with a spread. It has a large, high-centered, full (26-40 petals) bloom form. Bloom size is . The flowers begin as long, pointed, ovoid buds and are bright yellow in color. The rose has little or no fragrance. They are borne on strong stems, primarily as a solitary bloom form, but sometimes in clusters of two or three. The flower's edges can sometimes look frayed or torn. 'Henry Fonda' is a vigorous grower and has medium-sized, dark green, glossy foliage.

History

Jack E. Christensen

Jack E. Christensen (1949–2021) was an award-winning American rose breeder, garden writer and biology teacher from

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. Christensen was born in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

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 The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

. He initially planned to become a doctor, but later changed his mind and transferred to

Cal Poly Pomona California State Polytechnic University Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) is a public polytechnic research university in Pomona, California, United States. It is the largest of the three polytechnic universities in the California State University syst ...

to study

Botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

. Christensen spent most of his horticultural career at Armstrong Nurseries in

. 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', 'Cricket', 'White Lightnin' and 'Fragrant Plum'. Christensen was the youngest hybridizer to win an All-America Rose Selections (AARS) in 1986, with his hybrid tea, 'Voodoo'. In 2001, Christensen left Armstrong Nurseries and became a gardening writer for the

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin The ''Inland Valley Daily Bulletin'' is a daily newspaper based in Ontario, California, serving the Pomona Valley and southwest San Bernardino County. The ''Daily Bulletin'' is a member of the Southern California News Group (formerly the Los Ang ...

Rancho Cucamonga, California Rancho Cucamonga ( ) is a city located just south of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and Angeles National Forest in San Bernardino County, California, United States. About east of Downtown Los Angeles, Rancho Cucamonga is the List ...

. He also took a position as a biology teacher at

Chaffey High School Chaffey High School is a public high school in Ontario, California, United States. It is part of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District and rests on approximately , making it one of the largest high schools by area in California. The schoo ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, where he taught for 20 years. On March 10, 2021, at the age of 72, Christensen died after a long illness.

'Henry Fonda'

'Henry Fonda' was developed by Christensen from an unnamed seedling and the hybrid tea rose, 'Sunbright', in 1995. The rose was named for film and stage actor,

(1905–1982). The new rose variety was introduced in the U.S. by Bear Creek Gardens, Inc. in 1996.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosa 'Henry Fonda'

1996 introductions