Gardening!

To recreate the gardens of your ancestors, include the old garden roses. These date back for centuries, are hardier, and include a large variety. They fare well in poor conditions, are the easiest type of rose to care for, do best in rich soil that drains well, and continue to bloom for years.

Some types of the old garden rose are Mary Queen of Scots, Sweetheart Rose, American Beauty, Awakening, and Belle Amore.
The Butterfly Rose is an ancient hybrid from China, introduced in 1932. The blooms change colors from soft orange to pink to carmine, which makes it a delight to observe.

Old garden roses with the traditional appearance include:

The Duchesse de Brabant (a Gulf Coast rose with a light scent),
Belinda’s Dream (long stems, nice fragrance),
Zepherine Drouhin (unique fragrance),
Red Radiance (strong fragrance).

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In the Greco-Roman culture, the rose represented beauty, love and the season of spring. It also spoke of the fleetness of time, and therefore implied death and the next world.

In Latin Christian iconography, the first use of the rose appears in the scenes representing the next world. Also used were the lily and other flowers. These flowers also became symbols of virtues and of categories of the elect. The red rose represented the martyrs, and the lily, for the virgins. The rose as the queen of flowers, was evidently a privileged symbol for Mary. She is called a rose among the thorns. The rose is also a symbol of Christ who is called the Rose of Sharon.

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Antique roses, also called Victorian Roses, are said to be strong survivors and the most fragrant of the roses. The word antique applies obviously to its history. An antique of any kind, however, will catch a collector’s eye. What better to put near a museum, which houses antiques, than a flowering plant also named antique? Antiques of all kinds have gained in popularity over the years. It makes sense that a flower with similar name, would gain as well.

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Who hasn’t heard of the song about ‘The Yellow Rose of Texas’? The yellow rose is one of the most popular roses in history. The song, however, was actually about a lady a Civil War soldier is trying to find. Dolly Parton also wrote a song titled ‘Yellow Roses’ about a romance with someone who both began and ended the relationship with a yellow rose.

There are companies named for the yellow rose, such as Yellow Rose Products, Yellow Rose Enterprises and Yellow Rose Gifts. There are books written, such as the Yellow Rose Bride, A Texas Sky, the Yellow Rose Trilogy and a series called The Yellow Rose Mysteries. There is yellow rose white gold jewelry. A concealer has been made called the Yellow Rose of Texas, which hides imperfections of the skin.

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One type of rose that seems saturated with sophistication beginning with its name is the English rose. There have been stories and books written with the name. But the English roses are especially deserving of a name that suggests class and royalty.

English roses are a group of roses, introduced by a hybridizer in the 1960’s. They were created to enhance some of the Old Roses, although a rose is a special flower in its own right and would seem to need no such enhancing. A rose by any name or type is a long-admired favorite among almost anyone.

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Who hasn’t heard of the most popular flowering plant of all time, the rose? The rose plant can spark a quick conversation amongst even the shyest of persons. Almost anyone can tell you of someone they know who has grown beautiful roses or of someone who couldn’t. Almost anyone can tell you of someone who got or sent roses, especially around the holidays. Even little children know what the rose plant is.

The local florist most likely has dozens of colors, types, and sizes of rose plants. It would seem to be the best selling flower of all time. The local discount store and even the local grocer carries some sort of rose plant these days.

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The use of landscape roses can make the exterior of any house more graceful, fragrant and inviting. Selecting the right varieties to compliment and accent the home’s style and your vision, will contribute to the success of your landscape and rose garden design.

Finding the perfect roses for your rose garden is not hard at all because of the the diverse varieties roses come in. The problem lies in choosing the right ones for your landscape needs and the design you wish to attain.
Roses come in a number of classes. Each class holds characteristics that make them a great choice for use as landscape ornamentals. If you’d like to have roses growing up and over a trellis or archway or cascading from window boxes, the tall growing tea roses are a perfect choice. Tea roses are known for their wild growing blooms and all who walk under the archway enjoy a beautiful display of roses.

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When one thinks of an antique, a rose might not immediately come to mind. But antique roses have been around for centuries. Shakespeare used the word ‘eglantine’ when speaking of the rose in his sonnets and plays. Eglantine is described in the dictionary as a European rose with sweet-scented leaves and pink flowers.

If you aren’t familiar with the word ‘emporium’, it means a large store with a wide variety of things for sale. There are antique rose emporiums to delight rose growers. You can buy an antique rose already rooted from a rose emporium.

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Through fossil evidence, roses have existed since prehistoric times. In Asian gardens, more than 5,000 years ago, the first cultivated roses appeared. Roses were introduced to Europe during the Roman Empire where they were used for ornamental purposes. According to historians, Cleopatra is said to have scattered rose petals before Mark Anthony’s feet. Nero released roses from the ceiling during extravagant feasts and banquets that were held.

The rose is the flower emblem of England. According to English folklore, if the petals fall from a fresh-cut red rose then bad luck was sure to ensue. The red rose is the badge of the House of Lancaster and the flower of Eros and Cupid.

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Some say roses aren’t climbers by nature and must be taught. Just think….a climber that can grow to forty feet up a tree, yes, it’s possible! If you prefer a smaller version, there is also the miniature climber to consider. Any rose is beautiful, but you might say climbers have a farther “reach”.

Suppose I give you an image flower lovers can appreciate? Imagine a field such as seen under the warm California sunshine. It’s a grapevine field, with rows and rows to fill. Now substitute the grapevines with climbing roses! What a vision that would be to behold.

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