Wednesday, February 11, 2009

A Valentine's Gift for You!

I wanted to do something for Valentine's Day for all of you out there, but couldn't decide just what. Then it came to me-Roses!




Did you know roses are the single most given flower om Valentine's day? It is also said that roses are the most popular flower in the world. *Roses have been symbols of love, beauty, war and politics since the beginning of time.





The birthplace of the cultivated rose was probably in Northern Persia. The oldest fossils of roses were found in Colorado and they have even been found in the tombs of Pharaohs in Egypt.





Roses are from:

Kingdom-Plantae

Division-Magnoliophyta

Class-Magnoliopsida

Order-Rosales

Family-Rosaceae

Sudfamily-Rosoideae

Genus-Rosa



There are Species roses, more often called wild roses. They are a 5 petaled flower and have colorful hips. The Rosa rugosa is in this family and are prized for their hardiness, disease resistance and low maintenance.




Old Garden Roses are easy to grow, disease resistant, and most have a lovely fragrance. They grow as shrubs, bushes and as viners. The China Rose, Moss Rose , Damask Rose and Tea Rose are found in this group.




The Modern rose, anything bred after 1867, include such roses as Hybrid Tea, Floribunda and the Grandiflora. Even though there are beautiful colors in this group they are at best a finicky lot. They don't adapt well to cold, they require a great amount of care, they need deadheading and trimming. and they don't have much of a fragrance.




Of course we all know a red rose means love. But did you know the other colors also have meanings? A white rose is purity and innocence. A yellow rose is jealousy and a decrease in love. Coral colored roses mean desire. Lavender is enchantment. Orange is desire. And a pink rose symbolizes perfect happiness, secret love, grace and sweetness! There are many more meanings and you can find them here.




Do you know where the most roses are grown? *The Netherlands, with about 8000 hectares of land under Rose cultivation, is the global leader in Rose cultivation. 54 per cent (about 5000 hectares) of the cultivated land in Ecuador is under Rose cultivation!! Zambia, a small nation, had 80 per cent of its cultivated land under Roses.



Noisette Roses are the only rose that originated in the United States.

John Champney received and 'Old Blush Rose' from his neighbor in 1800 South Carolina. He was a rice farmer, who took this rose and cross bred it with Rosa moschata. This resulted in Champney's Pink Cluster. He sent seed to his brother in France and this started an area of breeding what was called the Noisette Roses


There are literally thousands of books written on the subject of roses-more than one could ever hope to read in their lifetime! They are truly one of the world's most beloved and revered flowers.

All of the pictures above except this last one came from Internet sources. On one site alone, I found over a hundred thousand photos! This rose is mine and it is Double Delight-a hybrid tea rose who has defied the odds and made it through many winters. It makes me smile every time I see it's beauty.
So , my dear Blogging friends, these roses are my Valentine gift to you!


* article found here

38 comments:

Cheryl said...

Dear Beckie....thank you, what a lovely thought.....
I have taken a big chance and planted some roses this autumn.....they are floribunda......I know they are a lot of trouble but I had roses in my old garden and coped with them quite well.......I like the fact that they bloom several times a year and mine should have a lovely fragrance......we will see this summer.....

Your bloom is beautiful.....the colour is stunning.......

Have a lovely valentine's day Beckie and thank you once again for thinking of us all........

My Mother's Garden said...

Hi Beckie!

How sweet and thoughtful you are!
Happy Valentine's to you!
These rose photos are gorgeous!

Thanks~
Karrita

Unknown said...

Ah, these are just riotously glorious, aren't they? I tend to grow shrub roses, explorers and rugosas here, as they tolerate our weather better than any others do. I love rugosas for their fragrance best of all, though my couple of gallicas are also pretty awesome.

Rose said...

Thank you, Beckie--you know I love roses! I'm glad to see your muse has returned--a very interesting and informative post. I'm sure the meanings of the color of roses probably differ from one source to another, but I always thought yellow roses symbolized friendship. If not, then I sure hope I don't get any yellow roses as a gift!:)

This was a great day for staying inside and blogging, wasn't it? Of course, this was my day for Tai Chi and running errands--I look like a drowned rat now.

Susie said...

Thanks Beckie these roses will probably be the only flowers I get. I'll take mine in pink and yellow. I love that combo.

You sure gave us some wonderful info about roses, much I didn't know. Those coral colored ones are very pretty.

I hope you have a happy Valentines day. Love the new header.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

You are such a sweetheart Beckie. Thank you for digging up all that information and putting it up with these gorgeous photos of roses. It was a delightful read with all that eye candy. Happy Valentines Day to you too. OXOXOX

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Beautiful! I think the one on the arbor is my favorite.

Gail said...

Dear Beckie, That was so very kind and so appreciated. The roses are spectacular..and yours is very lovely!

I love roses and always have to see if they have any fragrance..(don't you think they should!) I seem to like the little roses like The Fairy so I've just planted a little carpet rose called Red Cascade with miniature red roses that is supposed to flower all summer!

Happy Valentine's Day to you~~~and again Thank You!

Gail

tina said...

I'll take them all Beckie. Especially that Double Delight. Now I see why it is such a popular rose. Happy Valentine's Day to you!

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Beth said...

Thank you for the lovely roses. I hope you feel better, Beckie, thanks for the get well wishes you sent me on my blog. Think Spring.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Happy Valentine's Day, early! I'm one of those people who thinks that a Rose without a fragrance might as well just be plastic. There's just something about the scent of a Rose.

beckie said...

Cheryl, I owuld think roses would do well in your garden. Most English gardens have them don't they? I assoiciate cottage gardens with roses anyway. :} I love the Double Delight and it changes the color ratio depending on the amount of heat it's getting. In the spring it tends to be more red, but summer brings out more white. Have a great weekend and a wonderful Valentine's day!

beckie said...

Karrita, welcome to my blog and thank you for visiting! I could look at roses all day. :} Have a happy Valentine's Day.

Jodi, I was hoping roses weren't on your list of plants you don't care for. :} Some of them can be very time consuming and to my way of thinking not worth all the bother. But they are beautiful beyond belief. Have a great weekend!

beckie said...

Rose, Wed. was a nasty day not fit forr man nor beast! I got spoiled all too quickly with the warm sunny days we had.

I'm not sure the muse is back, but I do feel more like writing now. Time will tell. I love yellow roses too and was surprised at this site's meaning. But I am sure their are any number of meanings attached to any color.

beckie said...

Susie, I was so tired of looking at the snow on my header! I tried a Valentine but wasn't satified with it so decided to do some dreaming about summer with the rose.

I would gladly give you yellow and pink roses. :) Hubby is usually good about any holiday and brings me a center piece.He has me spoiled. :0

Sue, I love that arbor one too. Wouldn't you love to have a rose blooming like that in your garden? Hope your weekend is a great one.

beckie said...

Lisa, I actually wasn't going to write much-just show some rose pictures. And then I started reading all the neat info on them and well you know how it goes. :)

I hear you are taking a trip and are going to miss the auction. Would have loved to see you both, but have a great time and take lots of pics!

beckie said...

Gail, I'm with you. Roses should smell like roses! Your little Red Cascade sounds delightful. You will have to share pictures when it blooms.

beckie said...

Tina, I could stand a whole room of roses! Double Delight is such a great rose in my garden. Even though it's a hybrid, it does beautifully. And even the Japanese beetles seem to leave that one alone. :}

beckie said...

Beth, your post brought back such good memories. (It was supposed to right :}?) Not feeling much better yet. :{ Hope you are though. No mountain climbing or snowshoeing or even hiking til you do. Hope you have a great heart day!

MMD, You crack me up! You could always get some rose scented spray if you get some that don't have any fragrance. Hope your weekend is great!

Anonymous said...

What a great post to commemorate Valentines Day. So much history and folklore behind the Rose. I have a variety of them in my garden from Climbing to Floribunda as well as the ever faithful Knockouts. Have a nice weekend Beckie! :) Oh and the photos were beautiful!!

Roses and Lilacs said...

Delightful. Roses are so beautiful, it's no wonder they inspire emotion in so many people. I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day too.
Marnie

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Oh thank you, Beckie! I'll take them all! I love all roses, especially the old antique roses.
Happy Valentine's Day to you!!!

Hugs filled with love,
Jenny

beckie said...

Racquel, I remember reading in some gardening book about the history of roses. It was fascinating all the secrecy and intrigue with developing new ones. Hope your Valentine Day is wonderful!

beckie said...

Marnie, who could look at a rose and not be blown away by it's beauty? Have a lovely Valentine's Day!

MG, some of my favorites are the ones they used to call the cabbage roses. Hundreds of petals on each one! And they have a great smell. Have a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Wendy said...

What beautiful roses! I just love them. Thanks for all the info and the lovely pics. Have a nice valentine's day.

joey said...

You have outdone yourself on this lively and informative post, dear Beckie, and again see a twinkle in your eye. Thank you for sharing much that I enjoyed learning. Please know that,'year round', you are my Valentine ... will you be mine :)

beckie said...

You are very welcome Wendy. Have a great Valentine's Day!

Joey, slowly the fog of winter is lifting. A few days of sunshine and warmer weather is all it takes to dispel the winter drearies. Hope your Valentine's Day is filled with joy.

Anonymous said...

What a perfect Valentine gift Beckie. I love a rose of any kind but that photo of the roses over the arbor is especially gorgeous.
I'll see if I get any others this year and what color they are!!! Happy Valentines Day to you too Beckie. I hope it's a warm, sunny day that chases away the blahs of winter!

Mountain Mama said...

I love this post!! I love roses too and in the middle of winter I can't think of anything I'd rather be looking at.
Your pictures are beautiful.
Orange is not my favorite color but every time I see an orange rose I remember how fragrant they are.
Is there such a thing as
'nose candy?'

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Hi Beckie, I teach a class on heirloom flowers and the Victorian flower meanings are fascinating to me--especially because different sources report different meanings! The type and color of roses also had a meaning:
Damask: freshness
Tea: I'll remember always
Thornless: love at first sight
Coral: desire
Lavender: enchantment
Orange: fascination
Peach: immortality, modesty
Pink: perfect happiness, secret love
Dark pink: thankfulness
Pale pink: grace, joy
Red: love, respect, beauty
Deep red: bashful, shame
Dark crimson: mourning
Burgundy: unconscious beauty
White: innocence, purity, humility, secrecy
Yellow: joy, jealousy, friendship 1 yellow plus 11 red: love and passion
Well, that's never something I can work into casual conversation so thanks for letting me share it here!

beckie said...

Kathleen, hope your Valentine's Day was a good one. I know the arbor with the roses is something I would love to have in my garden. Roses are so lovely, bu oh so much work!

Bev, roses can bring a smile any time of the year. My Mom used to have a rose called 49er (I think) and it was an orange with a very rich spicy smell. and that rose produced more flowers than all of her others. I should try to find one like it. Hope your Valentine's Day was a great one.

beckie said...

Monica, it's interesting to see the different meaning of colors in roses. I know the Victorians were big on sending certain ones to convey a message.

I bet your class on Heirloom flowers is very interesting. Didn't they also have certain vases for certain flowers? Hope your Heart Day was a good one and thanks for the info.

Naturegirl said...

Thank you! LoVe roses..my fav. next to peonies!
Your photos are stunning..love the white the best! Great facts about our beloved rose! smiles and hugs

Kylee Baumle said...

What a wonderfully informative post, Beckie! Thank you!

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