About red roses

And why the red rose is such a romantic flower

Roses are very romantic. They're the most purchased flower over valentines day and people either buy large bunches of red roses or give a single red rose as a gift.

The rose has been a symbol of love and romance since ancient times. They are one of the most beautiful flowers with an amazing scent. Their petals are soft and velvety and although they are available in so many colours they are considered most romantic when red!

A bright red rose may symbolise love, but a too dark rose may mean shame and a pinker rose can mean a desire to keep the love secret!

The tudor rose was created by Kenry VII in a bid to end the war of the roses between the Houses of York(white rose) and Lancaster (Red rose) and combined it to give a red and white rose.

The Red Rose Forest is a partnership of The Countryside Agency, the Forestry Commission and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Bolton, Bury, Trafford and Wigan and the Cities of Manchester and Salford. It aims to improve areas within greater Manchester for the benefit of all.

There are many types of rose plants. The rose is a perrenial flower shrub of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae.
It can be an erect shrub, climbing, trailing. It is often endowed with thorns.
There are many native roses in Asia and a smaller number in other areas of the world. The rose is grown for it's beautiful flowers and fragrance.

The leaves are alternate and pinnately compound, with sharply toothed oval-shaped leaflets and the edible fruit is called a rose hip.

The different species easily hybridise giving a massive number of garden varieties.

The steam extracted essential oil is called attar of rose. It's been used in perfumes for many centuries. Rose water is also used in cooking particularly in middle eastern and some asian cuisines.

Rose hips can be make into jelly and jam or even marmalade. They can be used in a syrup said to have health properties due to the high levels of vitamin C. They can be used in teas. The hips can also be pressed to release oils which are used in some skin products.

A rose garden can fall prey to various rose diseases including rose rust and black spot and powedery mildew. They can also be attached by aphids - the predator of these are ladybirds.

There are several types of old garden rose worth investigating if you're interested in the roses history:

Alba
Gallica
Damask
Centifolia or Provence
Moss
China
Portland
Bourbon
Noisette
Tea

A huge number of people have had roses named after them!

Roses have romantic associations from the

* What's in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet. — William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet act II, sc. ii

* O, my love's like a red, red rose/That's newly sprung in June — Robert Burns, A Red, Red Rose


* Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose — Gertrude Stein, Sacred Emily (1913), a poem included in Geography and Plays.