George Schoener, or Georg Schöner (March 21, 1864 – October 2, 1941) was a German-bornRoman 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. Only two of his creations survive today, however: 'Arrilaga' and 'Schoener's Nutkana'.
He was born into a peasant family of Steinach, Baden. He studied in Engelberg and Einsiedeln from 1883 to 1889. 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.
