Roses – Symbolizing Beauty, Politics, Love and War
Roses are flowering shrubs in the genus Rosa, part of the rose family (Rosaceae), and they are among the most loved flowers on Earth. There are more than 100 wild species and tens of thousands of garden varieties, and for centuries roses have stood for beauty, love, politics and even war.
Scientific Classification & Quick Facts
| Common name | Rose |
| Scientific name | Rosa |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Rosales |
| Family | Rosaceae |
| Type | Woody, thorny shrubs and climbers, 100+ species |
| Habitat | 4 to 6 hours of sun and well-drained soil |
| Size | Flowers from half an inch to 7 inches wide |
| Flowering season | Mid spring to fall |
| Special feature | Scent is used to make perfume |
A Very Long History
Roses are ancient plants. Fossils show that roses grew more than 35 million years ago. People in China were probably growing roses in gardens around 5,000 years ago, and roses were also prized in ancient Persia, Egypt, Greece and Rome.
The English word “rose” comes from the Latin rosa, which was probably borrowed from Greek.
Symbols of Love, Politics and War
Roses have carried special meanings for a very long time. The ancient Romans linked roses with Venus, the goddess of love, and today a red rose is still a classic symbol of love on Valentine’s Day.
In 15th-century England, two powerful families fought for the throne in a series of battles later called the Wars of the Roses. The House of Lancaster was linked with a red rose and the House of York with a white rose. When the fighting ended, the new Tudor king combined them into the red-and-white Tudor rose. Today the rose is a national flower of England and of the United States.
What a Rose Looks Like
Rose plants can be upright shrubs, low ground covers or long, scrambling climbers. Most have sharp prickles on their stems, which most people call thorns. These help the plants climb and protect them from hungry animals.
Rose flowers come in almost every color except true blue and black. They range from tiny blooms under 2 cm (less than an inch) across on miniature roses to big blooms more than 12 cm (about 5 inches) wide. Wild roses usually have five petals, while many garden roses have been bred to have dozens.
A rose’s scent comes from fragrant oils made in its petals. Rose oil has been used in perfume for centuries, and rose water is used in cooking and sweets in many parts of the world. After the flowers fade, many roses form fruits called rose hips, which are rich in vitamin C and are eaten by birds.
How to Grow Roses at Home
Photo by: Jebulon
Before You Plant
First, choose a rose that suits your climate. A local garden center can recommend varieties that grow well in your area and resist common diseases.
Pick a spot that gets at least six hours of direct sun a day and has well-drained soil. Roses like soil that is slightly acidic to neutral, with a pH of about 6.0 to 7.0. Good airflow around the plants helps prevent leaf diseases.
Planting Steps
- Mix plenty of well-rotted compost or manure into the soil where your rose will grow.
- Dig a hole about twice as wide as the roots and deep enough to hold them without bending.
- Gently loosen the roots of potted roses so they spread out into the new soil instead of circling.
- Set the plant in the hole. The graft union (the knobby spot where the rose was joined onto its rootstock) should sit at soil level in mild climates, or a few centimeters below the surface in places with cold winters.
- Fill in with soil, firm it gently and water well. Check the plant label for how far apart to space your roses.
Watering and Feeding
Roses need regular water, especially while they are blooming. A good guide is about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of water a week from rain or watering, and more in hot weather. Water deeply at the base of the plant in the morning, and try to keep the leaves dry to help prevent disease. A layer of mulch helps keep the soil moist.
Feed roses with a rose fertilizer in spring and again during the growing season, following the package directions. Healthy, well-fed roses are better at fighting off pests and diseases.
When Do Roses Bloom?
Most modern roses, including hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, miniatures and many shrub roses, are repeat bloomers. They flower in waves from late spring until fall. Many old garden roses, on the other hand, bloom only once a year, usually in late spring or early summer, though some flower again in autumn.
Cutting off faded flowers, called deadheading, encourages repeat bloomers to make more flowers.
Care After Blooming
Photo by: Andrew Butko
Toward the end of summer, about six to eight weeks before your first expected frost, stop feeding your roses. Late in the season, stop deadheading too and let rose hips form. These steps signal the plant to slow down and prepare for winter.
Rake up and remove fallen rose leaves, because they can carry diseases such as black spot into the next year. In cold areas, wait until the ground has started to freeze, then pile mulch or soil around the base of each plant to protect it through winter.
Roses as Cut Flowers
Roses are one of the world’s most important cut flowers. Growers in countries such as Kenya, Ecuador, Colombia and the Netherlands raise millions of them in fields and greenhouses. The stems are cut when the buds are just starting to open, then kept cool until they are sold.
If you cut roses from your own garden, do it in the cool of the early morning, put the stems in water right away and trim the ends at an angle before arranging them in a vase.
Rose FAQs
How old are roses?
The oldest rose fossils are over 35 million years old. People probably first grew roses in gardens about 5,000 years ago in China.
How big are rose flowers?
Rose flowers range from about half an inch to 7 inches across, depending on the type.
When do roses bloom?
Many modern roses flower from the middle of spring until fall. Most old garden roses flower just once or twice a year.
How much sun do roses need?
Roses need 4 to 6 hours of sun a day and well-drained soil. They also need about an inch of rain or watering each week while flowering.
What do roses symbolise?
In the old days roses symbolised beauty, politics, love and war.
Randi Jones is the owner and founder of the Nature Gift Store, an online retailer specializing in nature-themed gifts, educational science projects, live animal nature kits and real butterfly artwork. A biology graduate who fell in love with insects, she founded the company in 2001 to make active learning about nature fun, accessible and engaging for children and adults. Her store offers real butterfly frames, home and garden decor and educational live animal kits, including ant farms, worm farms, tadpoles, ladybugs and hermit crabs, and she runs a bug museum in Washington featuring live animals like Eddie the Iguana alongside other reptiles and insects.
