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"What's
in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
-William
Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet
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Roses are one of the most cherished flowers.
In history, roses have played a large part. Roses date back to over 35 MILLION years ago, as found in fossils. In Greek history,
the rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. During the Roman period, it was also used as confetti,
medicine and perfume. In 15th century England there was the War of the Roses. In the 17th century, roses were considered legal
tender, and were used to barter for goods. You will find mention of this most beautiful flower many times throughout history.
It has become our symbol for love.
The rose is also one of my favorite flowers. I have
one bed dedicated to old world roses. My all time favorites are English roses. I also have a rose in every other flower bed
I have. I can not get enough of them...they are so beautiful...and no other flower can match that wonderful smell.
My favorite memory is of a mid-summer evening. The sun had set, and the night was still. I walked out
of my house onto my deck in the backyard. I was overcome with a WONDERFUL bouquet of fragrance. It is so hard to try to explain
that moment, but I was surrounded with the sweet, fruity fragrance of English roses and fresh cut lawn. The night was so still
that I could have swam in the fragrance.
Like I mentioned earlier, my favorites are the
English roses. David Austin has the BEST catalog of these wonderful smelling, and extroidinarily beautiful roses. I can
not pick a true favorite! I love Gertrude Jekyll, it has a strong old rose fragrance and is a gorgeous deep pink. Winchester
Cathedral is a pretty white with a hint of pink on the petals. Abraham Darby is a beautiful apricot pink and yellow
color with a strong fruity fragrance. Jude the Obscure is a lighter creamy yellow. And the list goes on and on!
David Austin is a rose breader, grower and author. His first rose was released in 1961. He specializes
in english roses and has an office in Tyler, Texas. You can visit this site at www.davidaustinroses.com
Besides English roses, some of my favorites are a grandiflora called
Queen Elizabeth. It is a medium pink double bloom. My mother had one that I loved to smell every day...and I have taken that
love to my yard now. I also love a little polyantha rose called the fairy. It has these adorable little flowers...no bigger
than an inch. And they bloom in a cloud...there are so many blooms at once, you could not count them!
 
I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where
oxlips and the nodding violet grows
Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with elgantine.
Shakespeare
Tips for Successful Roses
- Prune your roses in the spring once the leaf buds begin to swell. If you prune
in the fall, you may prune canes that are OK, and leave ones that may not make it through the winter.
- Make 45 degree cuts.
- Prune slightly above an outward
facing leaf bud.
- Prune out all weak or dead canes.
- Prune out about 1/3 of the cane.
- Protect grafted roses over winter
by piling compost, soil, leaves or straw over the crown.
- As soon as your roses
leaf out, begin fertilizing. Check for fungus, such as black spot or powdery mildew.
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Rose Classifications
Hybrid Tea roses are the most widely grown type.
They have large, rounded flowers with many petals and have single flowers on long stems. Most grow upright to 4-5 feet
tall and are fragrant.
Floribunda roses are a hybrid cross between an old-fashioned polyantha
and a hybrid tea. They are short, bushy and full with clusters of flowers.
Grandiflora roses
have clusters of flowers like the floribunda, but the blossoms are larger. They can be from 5-6' tall and they
also have long stems like the hybrid teas.
Shrub or landscape roses entails everything that does
not fall into another category. Shrub roses include elegantine, hybrid rugosa, polyantha, landscape and hybrid shrub roses.
Most are very hardy. Landscape roses grow closer to the ground and have a spreading habit.
Miniature
roses have delicate, tiny clusters of roses and grow from six inches to two feet tall. These roses do well in containers.
You may see these at florists.
Climbing roses are named for their form and shape. They have very
long stems and grow well on fences. They grow from 6-20' tall, and need to be supported by a fence, post or trellis.
Old garden roses or old world roses have been cultivated since before 1867 and include burbon, centrifolia,
China, damask, gallica and moss roses.
Species roses are found in the wild. They include the
prairie rose, Carolina rose, Father Hugo and rugosa.
Tree roses or standard roses have a slender
trunk and a flowering top.
Rose Colors & their Meaning
- Red-
love, passion, respect, courage
- Pink- appreciation, admiration,
happiness, gratitude
- Yellow- joy, friendship, freedom
- Creams- thoughtful, charming, graciousness
- Orange-
enthusiasm, fascination, desire
- White-purity, reverance, innocence,
security
- Purple-enchantment
- Peach-success
- Lavender- love at first
site
- Blue-mysterious
- Black-death,
change
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