Ring around the rosey!

Peace!

She´s a beauty, isn´t she? I´m so glad my mother suggested this rose. Just a little info about this lovely courtesy of wikipedia:

The Peace rose is the most famous and successful garden rose of all time. Over one hundred million plants had been sold, as of 1992. It is a Hybrid Tea rose with very large flowers and a light yellow to cream color. It is very hardy and resistant to disease making it popular in gardens as well as in the floral trade (Beales).

It was developed by French horticulturist Francis Meilland in the years 1935 to 1939. When Meilland foresaw the German invasion of France he sent cuttings to friends in Italy, Turkey, Germany, and the United States to protect the new rose. The rose became known as 'Peace' in the following way. Early 1945 Meilland wrote to Field Marshal Alan Brooke (later Viscount Alanbrooke), the principal author of the master strategy that won Second World War, to thank him for his key part in the liberation of France and to ask if Brooke would give his name to the rose. Brooke declined saying that, though he was honored to be asked, his name would soon be forgotten and a much better and more enduring name would be "Peace".

The name "Peace" is a trade name; its formal cultivar name is Rosa 'Madame A. Meilland'. The adoption of the trade name "Peace" was publicly announced in the United States on 29 April 1945 by the introducers, Messrs Conard Pyle Co.. This was the very day that Berlin fell, officially considered the end of the Second World War in Europe. Later that year Peace roses were given to each of the delegations at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations in San Francisco, each with a note which read:

"We hope the 'Peace' rose will influence men’s thoughts for everlasting world peace".

Peter Beales, English rose grower and expert, said in his book Roses:

"'Peace', without doubt, is the finest Hybrid Tea ever raised and it will remain a standard variety forever".

And here she is just starting to open. She looks so much darker and brighter here. Once she fully opens and has been in the bright sun she fades to a much subtler yellow with just the slightest hint of pink. I much prefer her in the first picture.

And this is an almost spent blossom on my climbing rose, Constance Spry. I like the smell of Constance, and when the blossoms have just opened they are gorgeous. Unfortunately I was a bit late getting a picture, and since this is her first year in my yard she´s still very small. I´m sure that wont last long! She is almost ready to be tied to the trellis, and I can´t wait to see what she does next year. This year she had about 8 blossoms which wasn´t too bad for a new rose. It´s a pity she only blooms once a year. Sigh.


An last but not least, Schneewitchen. I like the pure white this rose has and the clusters of blooms. The bush is full despite this being its first year in my garden and I am thrilled.

Now if only Empress Josephine and the Pink Panther would bloom...they have buds, so I´m sure it wont be too much longer before I share pictures of them along with my other climbing rose New Dawn. Until then, happy gardening!