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People have been passionate about roses since the beginning of time. In
fact, 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.
1,000 years old. That's the age the world's oldest living rose is thought to
be. Today it continues to flourish on the wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral in
Germany.
The rose is a legend in it's 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.
A rose by any other name... according to Greek Mythology, it was Aphrodite
who gave the rose its name.
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.
Roses are truly ageless. Recently, archaeologists discovered the fossilized
remains of wild roses over 40 million years old.
The people of ancient Greece used roses to accessorize. On festive occasions
they would adorn themselves with garlands of roses, and splash themselves with
rose-scented oil.
The first true primary red rose seen in Europe was 'Slater's Crimson China,'
introduced in 1792 from China, where it had been growing wild in the mountains.
Immediately, rose breeders began using it to hybridize red roses for
cultivation. Ever since, the quest for the elusive perfect red rose has been the
Holy Grail of rosarians: a fragrant, disease-resistant, long-lasting,
long-stemmed, reblooming, perfectly formed rose with clear non-fading vivid red
color. Absolute perfection still hasn't been attained, and of course never
will!
Napoleon's wife Josephine so adored roses, she grew more than 250
varieties.
garder un sourire dans votre coeur
Keep
a smile in your heart"
Moonlite
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