A short history of the rose;

Roses, Roses and more roses, the air shimmers with scent and colour. Titania

Roses have been around  a long time,  from fossil evidence found, about for 35 million years.

Today we can count 30’000 varieties. Roses have the most complicated family tree of any known flower species.

The cultivation of roses most likely began in Asia around 5000 years ago. They have been part of the human experience ever since and mentions of the flower are woven into a great many tales from the ancient world.

In Greek Mythology it was Aphrodite who gave the Rose her name. The godess of flowers chloris created the rose.
Chloris enlisted the help of Aphrodite to give the Rose beauty;
Dionyisus added nectar to give the rose a sweet scent;
The three graces gave the rose, charm, brightness and joy;
Zephyr the westwind blew away the clouds, so that
Apollo the sun god  could make the rose bloom…the creation of the Rose.

In ancient Hindu legends, Brahma, the creator of the world and Vishnu, the protector of the world had an argument whether the Lotus or the rose was more beautiful. Vishnu said the rose is more beautiful, Brahma said it was the Lotus. Brahma had never seen a rose, but when he saw one he changed his mind. As a reward he created a  beautiful bride  for Vishnu called Lakshmi. She was created from 108 large  and 1008 small rose petals.

In Crete, frescoes dating  back to 1700 BC, showing a pink rose with five petals.

Tombs in Egypt have revealed wreaths from flowers with roses among them.

In the tomb of Hawara, the wreath dates  to about AD 170 and represents the oldest preserved record of a rose species.

In the Roman empire the starving  peasants were forced to grow roses instead of food. Bath and fountains were filled with rose water and they sat on carpets of rose petals. Rose petals were used as confetti at celebrations, for medicinal purposes and  to make perfume. 

During the fifteenth century, the families fighting to control England used the rose as a symbol. The white rose represented York, and the red rose symbolized Lancaster. Not surprisingly, the conflict between these factions became known as the War of the Roses.

In the seventeenth century roses and rose water were used as legal tender, as barter in the markets, as well as payments for taxes to the royalty from the commoners.

Napoleons wife Josephine establishes a collection of  250 rose varieties at  her estate  and chateau Malmaison.

P.J. Redoute painted his famous water colour collection “Les Roses”  one of the finest botanical illustrations, in the rose garden of Malmaison.

Cultivated roses weren't introduced into Europe until the late eighteenth century. These Roses came from China and were repeat bloomers. They were of great interest to hybridizers who no longer had to wait  for their roses to bloom once a year.

Today  all roses  are divided into two groups. The old roses,  cultivated in Europe before 1800. Modern roses began to be cultivated in England and France around the turn of the

19th century.

Until the beginning of the 19th century, all roses in Europe were shades of pink or white. The red  rose came from China around 1800. 

Bright yellow roses entered the palette around 1900. 

Believe it or not: 

The rose and the thorn, and sorrow and gladness are linked together. Saadi

©Photos from my garden/ Text