Coming up roses: Washington man breeds hundreds of unique roses from his backyard
Published 4:54 pm Monday, May 12, 2025
Washington resident Nick Fritz pollinates a rose by hand, transferring pollen to initiate the breeding process. Each cross has the potential to produce a one-of-a-kind bloom. (Ellen Brabo/For WDN)
Nick Fritz’s backyard in Washington is home to hundreds of rose bushes, each grown from a unique seed. The garden reflects years of crossbreeding efforts to develop hardy, fragrant roses. (Ellen Brabo/For WDN)
A mesh bag protects a developing rose hip in Nick Fritz’s garden in Washington. Details annotated on the bag track the parent plants used in each cross as part of his breeding documentation. (Ellen Brabo/For WDN)
(Ellen Brabo/For WDN)
(Ellen Brabo/For WDN)
(Ellen Brabo/For WDN)
(Ellen Brabo/For WDN)
(Ellen Brabo/For WDN)
(Ellen Brabo/For WDN)
(Ellen Brabo/For WDN)
(Ellen Brabo/For WDN)
(Ellen Brabo/For WDN)
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Nestled behind a quiet home in the Smallwood neighborhood of Washington, a backyard bursts with color, fragrance and hundreds of one-of-a-kind roses, each lovingly crossbred by local resident and lifelong entrepreneur Nick Fritz.
Fritz, 47, has worn many hats over the years: restaurant owner, builder, car dealer and most recently, founder of the Huckle Burger franchise. But these days, his garden captures much of his attention. With more than 100 rose bushes blooming behind his house, Fritz is on a mission: to breed a rose that is both fragrant and resilient—a variety less prone to disease and hardy enough to thrive in the North Carolina climate.
“This rose here,” said Fritz, gently holding a bloom between his fingers, “this is it. This is the only one like it in the entire world.”
Each rose he breeds is genetically unique, the result of meticulous cross-pollination. The process involves transferring pollen from one rose to another and enclosing the bloom in a mesh bag to protect the developing seed pod, or “hip.” Out of 300 crosses made last season, about half produced hips—and only one in ten of those seeds sprouted into viable rose bushes.
Unlike most commercial roses, which are cloned from cuttings to ensure consistency, seed-grown roses carry entirely new genetic material. “Every seed is a roll of the dice,” said Fritz.
Roses have captivated gardeners for centuries. Though native to Asia, they spread to Europe and the Middle East through trade routes and conquest, eventually making their way to America in the 18th century. Yellow roses, once a rarity in the West, were originally cultivated in the Middle East and introduced to Europe in the 1700s. Today’s modern hybrids are the result of centuries of breeding for color, shape and scent.
Fritz first caught the rose-breeding bug about six years ago. Though his father had been breeding roses since the 1990s, it wasn’t until Fritz successfully bred a particularly stunning rose of his own that the passion took root.
“I remember thinking, ‘This one is gorgeous,’ and that was it. I was hooked,” said Fritz. “Next thing I knew, I was digging up the backyard.”
Breeding roses isn’t a fast-track hobby. It can take years for a single rose to mature and reveal its color, scent and resilience. “It’s a long process with a lot of patience,” added Fritz. “But when one pops up and it’s beautiful, it makes it all worth it.”
Fritz has shared his passion with local students, visiting schools like the Washington Montessori Public Charter School to teach children how to breed roses of their own.
“Whatever pops up is their own unique rose,” explained Fritz. “They name them after themselves and plant them at school.”
For Fritz, the roses are more than just flowers. They are symbols of peace, beauty and patience in an otherwise hectic world.
“I’ve owned dozens of businesses since I was 19,” noted Fritz. “Business is stress. There’s always something on your mind. But out here, I hear the birds chirping. I’m present.”
He draws inspiration from history and philosophy to explain the emotional connection he feels in the garden.
“One of my favorite stories is about Diocletian, the Roman emperor,” shared Fritz. “After holding the empire together, he retires and grows cabbages. When begged to return to power, he says, ‘If you could see these cabbages I’ve grown with my own hands, you wouldn’t ask me.’ That’s how I feel out here.”
A native of Mount Olive and a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate in business administration, Fritz and his wife, Shari, are raising six children with a shared love of reading, art and travel. While his roses bring him joy, they also offer a quiet metaphor for life’s greater pursuits.
“We’re all novices at something,” added Fritz. “Gardening reminds me that it’s okay to learn, to fail, to try again. And if I can bring a little beauty into the world while doing that, even better.”
Though he doesn’t sell the roses, Fritz is eager to share his garden with others. He currently has nearly 100 rose plants ready to give away to anyone in the community who’s interested.
“Each one is completely unique,” emphasized Fritz. “There’s something special about planting a rose that exists nowhere else in the world.”
Residents can contact Fritz through his Facebook page, Nick’s Rose Garden, to claim a plant and take home a piece of the passion blooming in his backyard.
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