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THE ROSE: FROM ANCIENT CHINA TO YOUR BACKYARD
The ubiquity of roses through time
The rose has captured humankind's
imagination for thousands of years, and has
taken a place of honour in gardens around
the world. Roses were first cultivated in
the garden in China, but their use was soon
worldwide. The Roman and Greek cultures both
placed religious, medical and mythical
significance on what the poet Sappho called
"the Queen of Flowers".
The Roman passion for roses knew no bounds;
the scented blooms found their way into
food, medicine, and perfume. The returning
hero found himself showered with thousands
of petals, and an ostentatious host would
carpet his floors with them so the scent
would rise with every footstep. The Romans
even invented the greenhouse for the very
purpose of growing roses.
The rose goes underground
The rose slipped from favor with the demise
of the empire, kept alive only in the
monastery medic garden. It wasn't until the
Crusades when returning knights brought back
new species roses that the rose began its
return to prominence in the garden.
Hybridization causes a
resurgence in popularity
The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries saw
the first work in hybridizing roses in the
West (the Chinese had been at it for two
thousand years already). Two hundred new
strains of rose were developed between 1580
and 1710. Then in 1781 the Dutch East India
Company brought back a China rose named 'Old
Blush' and the race was on. Over the next
decade the Dutch and British East India
Companies brought back dozens of new China
roses, leading to the development of Teas,
Bourbons, and Portlands. These were crossed
into the existing pool of species and Old
Garden roses, leading to an explosion of
both rose hybrids and interest in them.
Over the years even more rose types were concocted with each new cross providing the stepping stone for the next. Species roses from all over the world became available to the breeders and there were soon new crosses. But in 1867, the first Hybrid Tea rose was introduced starting the Modern Rose era. All roses after that point are Modern roses, all from before are Old Garden roses, but for our purposes we will be breaking them down into groups by usage and habit
For more information on roses check out our Rose Colour Meanings
What to send some beautiful roses to that special someone? Click out our range of roses
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