June 23, 2006

• Mm... I can almost smell them... I want a scent-o-matic monitor!
• Well, June IS National Rose Month, and a rose is the official National Floral Emblem of the United States so I think a post is timely and appropriate, but DANG! Polychrome, put some effort into it! Roses is good subjects. Did you know that wreaths of Damask-like roses have been found in Egyptian tombs? And that recently, archaeologists discovered the fossilized remains of wild roses over 40 million years old? OR that? Cupid, offering a rose when trying to bribe the God of Silence to hush Venus's amourous escapades, made the flower into a symbol for secrecy: Roman dining room ceilings were decorated with roses, reminding guests to keep secret what had been said during dinner. Sub rosa, under the rose, up to this day means "confidentially." Try this article Unfortunately, one of the characteristics most closely associated with roses, fragrance, was hybridized out of the modern roses in favor of flower color and shape. It is felt that roses exude seven basic fragrances: rose, nasturtium, violet, apple, lemon, clove and tea. I hate modern scentless roses--the classic old roses are much better, and can be multi-bloomers, but then breeders don't get a nickel for their propagation. Photos can hardly do justice to roses, but the artwork of Pierre-Joseph Redouté, who painted the more than 250 varieties of roses in the garden of Josephine, wife of Napoleon, featured here and here is magnificent. Roses are often taken as a symbol for love. Do you know the meaning behind the different colors?
• Mo'bits of rose trivia: # People have been passionate about roses since the beginning of time. It is said that the floors of Cleopatra's palace were carpeted with delicate rose petals, and that the wise and knowing Confucius had a 600 book library specifically on how to care for roses. # Wherefore art thou rose? In the readings of Shakespeare, of course. He refers to roses more than 50 times throughout his writings. # One thousand years old. That's the age the world's oldest living rose bush is thought to be. Today, it continues to flourish on the wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany. # Myth also has it that Venus' son Cupid accidentally shot arrows into the rose garden when a bee stung him, and it was the "sting" of the arrows that caused the roses to grow thorns. And, when Venus walked through the garden and pricked her foot on a thorn, it was the droplets of her blood which turned the roses red. # It's offical -- the rose is New York's state flower. # The rose is a legend of its own. The story goes that during the Roman empire, there was an incredibly beautiful maiden named Rhodanthe. Her beauty drew many zealous suitors who pursued her relentlessly. Exhausted by their pursuit, Rhodanthe was forced to take refuge from her suitors in the temple of her friend Diana. Unfortunately, Diana became jealous. And, when the suitors broke down her temple gates to get near their beloved Rhodanthe, she also became angry, turning Rhodanthe into a rose and her suitors into thorns. # Dolly Parton may be known for her music and theme park, and …balloons. But, rose lovers know her for the orange / red variety bearing her name. # While the rose may bear no fruit, the rose hips (the part left on the plant after a rose is done blooming) contain more Vitamin C than almost any other fruit or vegetable. # Leave it to the romantic French to be the ones to first deliver roses. It was in the seventeenth century that French explorer Samuel deChamplain brought the first cultivated roses to North America. # The people of ancient Greece used roses to accessorize. On festive occasions, they would adorn themselves with garlands of roses and splash themselves with scented oil. Why is it the posts about good things never garner the most comments?
• I've heard rumors that there's a yellow rose in Texas. Maybe I should go there to see. I remember hearing that there had been a rose variety named after Jean Marsh, in honor of her portrayal of Rose on "Upstairs, Downstairs," but I couldn't find it on the rose indez in the main link.
• The Real "Yellow Rose" of Texas A very interesting story.
• *boggles* BlueHorse - thank you. I am speechless (and a little embarassed). Note to self, must try harder....
• Fragrant roses. The Mr Lincoln seems to get mentioned in dispatches pretty regularly. Here it is again Rose fragrance will be strongest on warm, sunny days when the soil is moist because that is when the production of the scent ingredients increases. Often, a rose that was fragrant in the morning is no longer so by late afternoon. A variety which seems immune to the vagaries of weather is CHRYSLER IMPERIAL and SUTTER'S GOLD are fragrant even on cool, cloudy days. CHRYSLER IMPERIAL as well as MISTER LINCOLN are two of the best roses for potpourri as they also keep their strong scent after drying. I noticed that too - I had a bloom indoors and the entire room was perfumed.
• A rose without a fragrance is always a disappointment.
• I had a lovely orange rose that bloomed scarcely for a couple years, then finally croaked. The next year, the wild stock it was grafted on started to grow, and I was going to rip it out by the roots, cussing that it was nothing but a sterile weed, (as the 'experts' say, but Mr. Bluehorse prevailed, and moved it to a secret location known only to himself. It's now a ten foot drought resistant rambler, blooms continuously as long as it's watered, smells heavenly, and looks lovely in the corner by the road. Meh. Go figger.
• Apparently there are MORE than the seven basic fragrances I mentioned above. Many English Roses, notably 'Constance Spry' the first English Rose, have an unusual scent described as "myrrh". Stereo Smell An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup. H. L. Mencken More: You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses. Ziggy Don't strew me with roses after I'm dead. When Death claims the light of my brow No flowers of life will cheer me: instead You may give me my roses now! Thomas F. Healey “I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall.” Eleanor Roosevelt And one more Rose quote: “See the ball; hit the ball.” Pete Rose
• I would venture that our GramMa is somewhat fond of roses. I bought a rose once, from a flower girl making her rounds through the pub. Then I ate it. Pretty tasty, as I recall.
• Thanks for this. I love roses. I'm getting married in a rose garden. I just bought a rosebush a few weeks ago, which I have not planted yet and which does not seem to be doing too well. (It's a "Climbing Colette," and we are doing the best we can.) Rose-flavored candies and sweets are usually pretty palatable, and they're OK to eat as long as they haven't been pesticided. I also don't mind things with mild lavender flavors. Violet is where I draw the line. (Tastes like horrible perfumy bath salts.)
• I'm getting married in a rose garden. Congrats to the minx! *Flings rice instead of banananas*
• Congrats! *flings the more avian friendly bird seed Quick, plant the rose, not good to leave them languishing
• Thanks! It's supposed to be this autumn, but we are probably having to put it off for a year, because um getting married is like really expensive, and a certain freelancer who is not me underestimated his taxes this year. =/ but it'll work out. Whetstone Park of Roses. I have some pics I took there about 2 years ago that I keep meaning to put on Flickr, too. My favorite part of the park is the Old Rose garden, which is somewhat less manicured than the main garden.