Roses symbolize love as its beauty evokes positive feelings in every person who see it. Roses are used to starting a romantic relationship, it is something that is given to cherish friendship, a flower that is used to welcome new life and is also used to ask for forgiveness.
Roses have been a symbol throughout history, and to the present times, its influence remains in our society.
Story of the rose
Table of Contents
Roses have long been a symbol of love, beauty, elegance, and is even used in politics. It has been recorded to be evident 35 million years ago, where there are 150 species around the world where mostly it is found in the Northern Hemisphere, in Alaska, Mexico, and in northern Africa.
Roses vary in shape and size where there are miniature, climbers, and compact plus the colors are many and range from white, yellow through reds.
Their scent differs, and you can get a whiff of it with every variety.
Some roses, native to Asia have been crossed breed, and it has produced the type that we have today.
The physical description includes prickles or various shapes and sizes called thorns, and the wild rose has five petals while the cultivated roses have multiple sets of petals.
During the 15th century, there is what they call the War of the Roses because of the factions of York with the white rose symbol, and then the red rose which symbolizes Lancaster and was both fighting to control England.
In the 17th century, they even used roses as legal tender and barter or payments.
It was only in the 18th century, when roses were introduced in Europe from China, and roses have been a wondrous beauty to behold since then.
Uses
Used as ornamental plants for their flowers and planted outdoors or indoors. They have cultivated ornamental roses for centuries in Mediterranean countries and China, and Persia.
Perfume
They make perfumes with the use of rose oil where the oil is transparent pale yellow or a mixture of a yellow and gray color. The production originated in Persia and then used by Arabia and India, and then Europe followed afterward.
While in Bulgaria, Iran, and Germany’s damask roses are used, and in other parts of the world, varieties of roses are being used for other applications.
Medicine
Rose Hip, another kind of rose is being used as a minor source of vitamin C. Many other species were used in herbal and folk medicines. Another type of rose called Rosa chinensis was used by the Chinese as traditional medicine. Some have been used for stomach problems and are still being developed for controlling cancer growth.
As food and drink
They also use rose hips, not just because of its high Vitamin C content, but for making Rosehip syrup, also jam, marmalade, soup, jelly, or teas. There are also skin products where the use of Rosehip seed oil is prevalent.
In Middle Eastern, South Asian, Turkey, and Persian cuisine, the use of Rosewater is common because of its distinct flavor. They use it in food such as baklava, halva, gulab jamun, nougat, and kanafeh. In other parts of the world, rose petals are also being used to flavor ice cream, kulfi, and chocolate.
They also use cut flowers for domestic and commercial applications where roses are harvested when in bloom or there’s a bud then refrigerated to a certain degree until they are delivered and used for significant markets around the world.
Its use for art and symbolism is also not uncommon, that across the century, it has symbolized different historical significance. Christianity also uses the rose to symbolize religion and some wars that happen across the centuries.
There are, however, some concerns regarding containing pests and plant diseases from affecting these plants because insects, fungal pests, and arachnids, make some damage to cultivated roses and roses must be fully protected from such.
How to plant roses
Since they are one of the easiest to cultivate and care for they are also mostly preferred by many homeowners to plant in their garden.
They don’t require too much attention as long as they have the right spot in your garden. There should be the right sun exposure, enough water, and they will grow and blossom in your garden, adding the color you need to give life to your garden once they bloom.
What variety would you like to plant in your garden?
Since there is a different variety available, plus the appearance and color, you can very well choose which should fit in your garden as there is the following variety:
- Miniature rose – Roses that can grow from six inches to two feet tall. They are the smallest amongst the variety and do not require enormous space. You can place them in a pot or directly in the soil, and they will still thrive with the proper care.
- Modern Garden Rose – Hardy type of rose and can resist plant diseases. They bred this variety in 1867. This rose bloom continuously and has a bigger bloom size, and it has a longer life when placed in a vase. However, it doesn’t have the fragrant characteristic of other rose varieties.
- English Roses – Combining the good characteristic of old and modern roses. This type is more fragrant with a wider color range just like the modern roses but is not as hardy as other variety and is prone to plant diseases.
- Climber roses – These roses prefer climbing on a trellis, fence, or framework. As long as these plants will have something to support its growing capacity, it will give many flowers and can cover walls, or other structures.
- Grandiflora Roses- This type is a combination of the Floribunda and the Hybrid teas. The bloom is large and has long stems, while the shrubs are larger and more upright compared to Hybrid teas. It has a hardy quality but is less popular than Hybrid Teas and Floribunda variety.
- Groundcover Roses – Used for landscaping lawns and gardens, also parks. It has the needed color, fragrance, and form and, at the same time, requires less maintenance. The maximum height is usually a foot to three feet. They are hardy and are highly pest resistant. A repeat flowering rose and is also low growing and fits every type of gardening requirement.
- Hybrid Tea Rose – Has long, upright stems and is frequently chosen because of its popularity. The Hybrid Tea Roses have pointed blooms that can grow up to five inches in diameter, plus it is large and well-formed. Not considered as hardy variety and requires higher maintenance.
- Old Garden Rose – Aka heritage or historic roses that have been bred even before the appearance of hybrid tea rose in 1867. Blooming just once a year and can stand cold temperature, resist plant diseases, with a bigger bloom shape, and many petals.
- Tree roses – Spectacular vision once it blooms and flowers.
- Shrub roses – This type requires less attention compared to other varieties. They are growing close to the ground and will mostly survive the different environmental climate. There are different varieties of sizes, as well as its shape that differs too.
- Floribunda – One of the most colorful variety and flowers from three to fifteen flowering roses, unlike other blooms that only have one.
- Polyantha roses – Colors available are yellow, pink, purple, white, and orange. This type has a shrubbery and stocky quality that can be built not just in your garden but in public places.
- Hybrid Tea – This rose variety that grows one flower with five petals in clusters. The scent is light and sweet, plus it is highly disease resistant.
- Rambling roses – This type gets its name from how its flowers blossom with its many clusters of medium-sized flowers with long canes and can cover anything in their way or just growing along the ground. They are the best decoration for arches and pergolas and are often used in parks, to beautify walls, etc.
- Alba Roses – With tall and elegant bushes that have different colors from blue-green to pale pink and white with highly resistant to plant disease quality and also low maintenance.
Which to plant?
Will you be using a container to plant your rose, or you will directly plant it on the soil? You may need to check first if there is already a flower blossoming on your rose since these are more apt in containers with the right size. If you are planning to plant directly on the soil, then a bare root rose is your option as it can fully grow and bloom from the soil.
Where to plant?
You cannot just plant your roses anywhere in your garden, if you want it to blossom and thrive, it also must have the right amount of sunlight. It is ideal if it can get at least a few hours of sunlight exposure, but it is also not advisable to have these plants fully exposed to the high sunlight. A slight shade is alright. When it’s in a cold climate, the plants would be better off in a wall or fence so it can balance the impact of the cold.
Check if your soil has good drainage because, without it, your rose will rot as the moisture or water will pool at the bottom. Best to use raised beds to prevent this from happening.
Check the soil quality if there are too many pebbles that will not be ideal for your roses. However, a few sprinkles of cow manure and compost can help perfect the consistency of the soil.
Make sure that the place where you will plant your roses will not have any competition with it, like trees or shrubs, as it will not grow fully. You should instead plant them away from such.
What material do you need to plant roses?
- A spade
- A shovel
- Gardening gloves
- Compost or rose planting mix
- Fertilizer
- Mulch
- Pruning shears
- Water
Planting your roses
When you get bare root roses, it is ideal to have it placed on the soil that you prepared on the ground. The size of the hole where you will place your rose should be bigger and must have space to grow its roots. They should be planted at least 2 to 3 feet apart. You can choose to plant them in threes.
Once you have placed the bare root in the soil, you should shovel the surrounding soil, to remove the air pockets inside the area. Next is the water that you will need to soak the plant with, then make a 6-inch soil mound over the plant to protect its canes from drying.
Container rose, on the other hand, only needs to be placed in a container, and then once you also dig a hole for the plant, it is time to transfer your potted rose directly to the soil. Also, water is needed afterward and every two weeks, thereafter to ensure that your roses will be in good shape.
Can you grow and propagate roses yourself?
Others may think this is an impossible feat, but it is easy to do. Roses are simple to grow and can propagate in just a few steps. By cutting its roots, it will replicate the rose where you took it compared to seeds that will have a different outcome.
Rose cuttings are done in three stages, softwood cuttings, semi-hardwood cuttings, and hardwood cuttings.
Softwood cuttings – easiest to root, taken below rose blooms and is just pencil-sized. The roots are soft and are easy to cut.
Semi-hardwood – are taken in late summer and early fall, while new stems are still partially mature.
Hardwood cuttings – the roots are harder, since the new stems have matured and are slow and difficult to root. They usually do this every late fall or early winter.
Maintain roses, which fertilizer, produce natural fertilizer.
Just like any other plant, roses need water to thrive. They need water at least twice per week, and it is not just water on top but water that should soak its entire base root. It is also not just watering the leaves or flowers, but the roots, and soils of the plant. However, it is not right to soak it in water every day as it will also weaken with too much water.
Laying down mulch or garden shavings is perfect as it locks in your roses’ moisture and keeps it on the soil until your next watering episode.
Plus, the mulch can keep the weeds at bay, keeping it away from the roses.
Fertilizer used during early spring can help the buds grow, and the leaves to grow further. Fresh compost can be your choice, but if not, commercial fertilizer is your next option. However, make sure you are following the instruction on the pack or the bottle so you will not burn your plant because of over-fertilizing.
If you are not keen on using commercial-grade fertilizer, you can look in your kitchen and use it on your rose plant. There are recyclable materials in your kitchen that you can use as a natural fertilizer and include,
Banana Peel
Rich in potassium and is rich in minerals. Some plant lovers use this on their plants by burying it five to six inches deep on the soil from the base of the plant.
Eggshells
This is another repurposed item in your kitchen, and instead of throwing it, you should clean it and rinse it well. You should first remove the slimy substance from the eggshell before you can pulverize it or use a blender to make sure it is crushed well. You can then place this on top of the rose soil cause this will not just act as fertilizer to your rose plant, but will deter snails and other bugs from going near your plant. Snails dislike passing or crawling on top of eggshells because of the spiky surface and the crunchy sound while they crawl.
Used ground coffee
Another natural plant fertilizer is used coffee grounds because it is high in nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous, all of which are beneficial to your plants. But you should not use the unused coffee grounds as this is concentrated compared to the recycled coffee grounds.
Manure Tea
Another idea for natural fertilizer is the use of dried manure from farm animals. This dried manure is then mixed with water to steep for a day or two. Once two days passed, you are now ready to separate the water from the solids from the container. Then you will use the water to pour on your plants or your roses.
You can also prepare by getting a piece of cheesecloth and cut according to teabag size, soak in just the right amount of water, again, for a day or two, and then once there is tea-colored water, this means it is ready to use to water your plants.
Milk
This can be your option as well for rose plant fertilizer, it is rich in calcium and has proteins, vitamin B, and sugar that will benefit your plants. Milk can also deter aphids, other bugs, resist fungal agents, and some plant viruses.
Gelatin
You may think gelatin is just used to make desserts or added to the salad. But it is highly helpful as well for your plants.
You just need to dilute the gelatin to one part water, and then this is what you will use to water your rose plant.
Vinegar
When you mix a tablespoon of vinegar plus a gallon of water, it can be a supplemental fertilizer. It is not just useful in your kitchen but can also be best for your plants, not just roses.
Boiled vegetable, fruit, and egg water
Do not throw the boiled water cause you can also use this to water your rose plant. This contains minerals and vitamins that can benefit the plants.
Famous rose gardens worldwide, the largest
Sangerhausen Rosarium, Sangerhausen
Founded in 1903 after just a short period of the formation of the German Rose Society. It houses several thousand species of rose plus 7K cultivars. They have distributed some rare old roses from this garden with different public collections all over the world so it can survive with the help of other rose gardens.
Zakir Hussein Rose Garden, Chandigarh
Located in Chandigarh, India, a place where 50,000 rose bushes are located. There is an annual rose festival held every February to early March, where many tourists join the festivities and see the place come alive with different variations of roses.
Rosedal De Palermo, Buenos Aires
This rose garden opened in 1914, where the collection of 18K roses comes to life during October. There are different colors and sizes of each variety that can take your breath away because of its mesmerizing beauty. It is placed in the posh suburb of Palermo, where the most people cycle, jog, and where street performers are found.
Valby Park, Copenhagen
Holding 12K variety of roses that are separated, according to colors. With miniature and climbing varieties placed in a strategic location to make people in awe every time they see it.
Fondazione Roseto Botanico “Carla Finesch”
Considered as one of the largest private rose gardens worldwide. Here is where roses are planted in section, species, subspecies, and hybrids. It is said that there are over 7K unique cultivars can be found here. Also, there is an extinct type of roses that were first thought extinct but in their care. Each rose is tagged, it has a botanical name, year founded and introduced in Europe, and if it is a hybrid.
Montreal Botanical Garden, Montreal
They set this botanical garden up for the Olympic Games held there in 1976. It houses 10K rose bushes where different species of roses are developed, and today’s modern hybrid teas and Floribunda varieties are mixed to form a magical display.
Rome Rose Garden
Found in Rome, Italy, and was established in 1931. Varieties include Hybrid roses, modern climbers, miniature roses, and rose shrubs. The roses are placed strategically so colors will be displayed perfectly, so they arrange roses that are climbing in pergolas and pillars while there are sculpted rose shrubs, standard roses, hedges made up of rose bushes, and then the roses with decorative fruit are also in display.
Which rose smells best?
Elle
Hybrid tea rose and is a winner in the 2005 American Rose Society. A hardy rose that can withstand plant diseases like mildew, stem canker, and a black spot. It has dark green foliage with a soft shell pink petals. The smell is spicy, citrusy quality.
Fourth of July
The first climbing rose to win the American Rose Society award in 23 years. With a vibrant red color and large clusters of a 4-inch flower with a stem that can reach from 10 to 14 feet. The scent is powerful and is evocative at the same time.
Honey Perfume
A category of floribundas that grows from 4 feet up and has a width of 3 feet. Its scent is spicy and apricot. With high resistance to mildew and fungus, this variety can be an impressive display in the garden and walls.
Midas Touch
With its golden yellow color and its 4-inch bloom. This five-foot plant is another hybrid tea rose that has a warm and musky scent. This rose has won the American Rose Society prize in 1994 and is popularly used in many gardens and parks.
Sun Sprinkles
A variety of miniature rose that smell spicy and musky with vivid yellow color. It opens early and is a repeat bloomer. It grows up to two feet and is a hardy plant that can resist plant diseases.
Double Delight
Featuring a creamy white to pale pink center with deep red edging. Grows about four to six feet with a 2 to 3-foot blossom. It is hardy and can weather diseases. With a sweet and spicy scent that can be smelled from other types of roses as well.
Memorial Day
A strong fragrant that is likened to the old-fashioned damask roses. The stem is long, and the bushes can withstand the tropical climate. Another hybrid tea rose that can perfume the entire room with a magnificent and immaculate smell.
Mr. Lincoln
A velvety and deep red hybrid tea with an aromatic scent that can stay for hours in a room. Not just hardy, but also beautiful with stiff and upright stems. It can grow from five feet tall and blooms 2 inches wide.
Scentimental
A variety of floribunda that has a spicy scent and burgundy and creamy white stripes. An exquisite yet so fragrant rose that will keep you mesmerized by it. The plant is also highly attractive to butterflies and is usually used as cut flowers delivered around the world. With its spicy and heavy scent, it is also the first striped rose to win the American Rose Society award.
Sheer Bliss
Pale pink and a hybrid tea rose variety with a delicate and sweet fragrance. It is a repeat bloomer and mostly favored by homeowners because of its simplicity yet stunning beauty. It needs protection from winter, though.
What is the advantage of a rose garden?
For aesthetic
A rose garden does not just bring an element of beautiful aesthetic to any area you place it. It can transform an ordinary space and make it captivating. You can place it in your driveway, or you can also plant several bushes on your dull garden wall or even make your lawn look magical with a different variety of roses.
Petals can also be used inside your home as a fragrance, bringing the wonderful smell inside. Cut roses are a good way to decorate your home, you need not be overly creative in arranging it because it stands out in the mix of colors and different sizes. It will be a sure point of conversation every time.
Extra Income
You can make extra money by cultivating and taking care of a different variety of roses. You need to make sure they are well-cared for, with their blooms always spectacular, so you will have clients who can get their cut stems from you. YOu can also take care of the flower arrangement and put these roses in a vase so you can charge extra for it. Some occasions where you can sell your variety of blooms are during Valentine’s day, birthdays, weddings, and other special gatherings.
By being inventive and making sure that you have quality blooms every time, you will earn from growing roses.
To bring various, wonderful scents
The smell of roses brings the memory of spring or summer. You do not just enjoy the lovely spread in front of you, but you also get to smell the wonderful fragrance that stimulates your senses and gives a calming effect.
It is also one way to relieve stress as the nerves relax while you are outside enjoying its beauty.
When you have roses in your garden, you are ensured of a fabulous time in the confines of your home.
It is great for health and is also useful when cooking
They use rose petals as a mixture for jams, ice cream, salads, and pies. Some growers have their garden so they can just get what they need when they need it. There are other uses such as petals to mix with the water used in bathtubs as it soothes and relaxes muscles and is said to be good for the skin.
It is also best boiled and then mixed with lukewarm water and once it has the right temperature; it is best used for a facial wash to soften facial skin, while there are other varieties used for eye cover to lessen puffiness and eye tiredness.
One other use is its effectiveness as a gargle when you feel there is soreness in your throat. The petals are readied by boiling it and mixing with a bit of salt. Make sure that the water temperature is just right before you use it for gargling solution.
Roses are not just beautiful, but it has a wonderful contribution to people’s wellbeing. It is also easy to maintain, making it an excellent choice for homeowners and gardeners alike as it beautifies the surroundings. It is also a well-loved variety of plants by bees, birds, butterflies as they favor this type of flowers.
