June Birth Flower: The Rose
The rose family (Rosaceae) is made up of more than 300 species and tens of thousands of cultivars. A cultivar is a plant that is derived from another and bred for specific traits like color, scent, or even thornless stems. Roses have been a treasured flower type for hundreds of years! Most rose species are native to Asia, but some have origins linked to locations in North America, Europe, and Northwest Africa. Here are some other fun facts about the rose that you may not know!
Fun Facts About Roses
- Ronald Reagan declared the rose as the U.S. National Flower in 1986.
- In Colorado, fossil evidence of rose leaves suggests that plants in the rose family have been around for at least 35 million years.
- The oldest living rose is about 1,000 years old. It is located at Hildesheim Cathedral in Hildesheim, Germany. When the cathedral was bombed during the Second World War, the roots of the rose still survived!
- Legend has it that Cleopatra filled a room more than a foot deep with rose petals in order to win over Mark Antony.
- The “War of the Roses” between the houses of York and Lancaster for the English throne in the 15th century used roses as a symbol of war. The white rose was synonymous with the house of York, while the red rose represented the house of Lancaster.
- In the 17th century, roses were a form of legal tender.
- Roses at the White House date all the way back to John Adams’ presidency. Ellen Wilson, the wife of Woodrow Wilson, officially launched the Rose Garden during his presidency. John F. Kennedy had the Rose Garden redesigned in 1961 for use as an outdoor venue for receptions.
- Many cut roses today are grown all over the world and are shipped by airplane to their final destination. The largest grower of roses is Ecuador, with over 50% of the land devoted to growing roses.
- David Austin developed the most expensive rose – The Juliet Rose. It took 15 years to cultivate and cost 2.85 million dollars!
Order your next bouquet of roses from Blumengarten in Cornelius, NC today!