The Origin of the Rose
The origin of the rose dates back to pre-historic times. In fact there is a fossilized rose in the Smithsonian Museum, that was found in Florissant, Colorado. That makes the rose as American as the bald eagle. The rose was declared our National Floral Emblem in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan.
Throughout history, the rose has been the inspiration of great works of art, literature, and music, and has been called the "queen of flowers". It is most often associated with love, and appropriately it is the flower of June, the wedding month.
Old garden roses began to lose their popularity in the latter part of the 19th century, taking a backseat to the very competitive hybrid tea roses. Thankfully collectors started to preserve them in their gardens before they completely disappeared, as many have survived in family cemeteries.
The old garden roses are now re-surging in popularity, as their hardiness and varied fragrant characteristics are being rediscovered.