Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
By Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 17, 2026
1. By Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet Marker
"The rose has often been called 'daughter of heaven,' ornament of the earth, glory of spring; but what expressions could ever do justice to the charms of this beautiful flower."
- W.R. Bergholz, Landscape Gardener and Rural Architect, The Farmer and Planter, April 1861
[Captions:]
Left
Early Columbians often purchased roses from local and nearby nurseries that supplied a wide variety of plants, trees, and flowers. Gardener Mary Rion, whose life in Columbia during the 1840s included visits to the nearby Hampton-Preston Mansion, devoted a considerable amount of her Ladies Southern Florist (1860) to the cultivation of roses. Today, some contemporary gardeners preserve the legacy of heirloom roses, nurturing specimens derived from exampled cultivated generations earlier.
Right
Botanical illustration excerpted from Curtis, William. The Botanical Magazine, or, Flower-Garden Displayed, Volume II, 1788.
Image courtesy of Rare Books and Special Collections, Thomas Cooper Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia
Left
A professor at South Carolina College, French immigrant Nicholas Herbomont is best remembered for his horticultural accomplishments. His four-acre Columbia estate (bounded by Bull, Lady, Pickens and Gervais streets, outlined in red) boasted a great variety of fruit trees, grape vines and flower gardens, which included roses. Thanks to pass-along tradition, descendants of Herbemont's roses grace this garden today.
Detail from C. Drie, Bird's Eye View of the City of Columbia, South Carolina, 1872.
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress
Erected by Historic
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1861.
Location. 34° 0.774′ N, 81° 1.849′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown - Downtown. It can be reached from Richland Street east of Pickens Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1601 Richland St, Columbia SC 29201, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Midlands. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Horticultural Heritage (here, next to this marker); Rooted in the Past, Enhancing the Future
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 17, 2026
2. By Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. An Enduring Landmark (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Pieces of the Past (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Credits. This page was last revised on January 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 24, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 40 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 24, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
