ROSES

In Greek mythology, it is said that it was Aphrodite, the goddess of love who gave the rose its name. The rose was created by Chloris the goddess of flowers with the help of Aphrodite who gave her beauty and Dionysus, the god of wine, who added nectar to give her a sweet scent.

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.

Through the ages, roses have been used to express feelings, sentiments and emotions that may have been hard to express any other way. Roses are treasured for their beauty, mystery, and fragrance throughout the world and as such, have been the focus of many poems and comments.

"It was roses, roses all the way."
- Robert Browning

"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 2 scene 2

In the 19th century old scented roses were used to make jelly. The red rose is the symbol of England and is worn on St George's Day. It is also the symbol of love and is hugely popular on St Valentine's Day, when roses make up the largest proportion of the £22 million spent on flowers in the UK on this romantic day.

The crusaders when defeated by Saladin in Jerusalem returned to the west with rose plants which were then cultivated by monks in their monastery gardens for their medicinal properties. Rose water was successfully used to cure all kinds of ailments, such as trembling, constipation, drunkenness, skin and throat infections and insomnia. There is some truth in this as we now know Rosa rugosa hips contain high levels of Vitamin C. Indeed, rosehip tea is often recommended in pregnancy. Rose oil may reduce high cholesterol levels. Roses are used in face toners and perfume and are one of the most effective anti-ageing ingredients. History: Not surprisingly the Rose has always featured strongly throughout history.

Related Flowers : Sunflowers Flowers Sedium Flowers Sweet Williams Flowers Stocks or Matthiola Flowers Tulips Flowers Strelitzias or Birds of Paradise Flowers Violets Flowers Sunflowers Flowers WallFlowers Flowers Sweet Peas or Lathyrus Flowers