Amazing Facts about Roses By CityFlowers, India

Amazing Facts about Roses

Roses are one of life’s pleasures, and they have inspired love and brought beauty into the homes of people who have received them. Did you know that the rose dates back thousands of years? Read on for some fascinating facts about one of the most popular cut-flowers in the world.

• We’ve been passionate about roses since the beginning of time and apparently Cleopatra was particularly fond of them. It is believed that the floors of her palace were carpeted in delicate rose petals.
• The wise Confucius had over 600 books in his library all about how to take care of roses.

• Heard of “Wherefore art thou rose?” Well it comes from the writings of Shakespeare of course. He refers to roses more than 50 times in his work. He was clearly passionate about them too.

• The world’s oldest living rose is thought to be about 1,000 years old. You can find it flourishing on the wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral of Germany. That’s amazing!

• Apparently it’s a myth that white roses are so special, and not a mystery. It might have started with the Romans, who believed white roses grew where the tears of Venus fell as she mourned the loss of her beloved Adonis. 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. 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.

• The rose is New York's state flower.

• The rose is a legend in its own right. Apparently during the times of the Roman Empire, there was an incredibly beautiful maiden named Rhodanthe. Her beauty drew many suitors who pursued her persistently. She was exhausted by their pursuits, and she was forced to hide from her suitors in the temple of her friend Diana. Diana unfortunately became jealous and when the suitors broke down her temple gates to get near their beloved Rhodanthe she became angry, turning Rhodanthe into a rose and her suitors into thorns.

• Dolly Parton may be known for her music and theme park. But rose lovers know her for the orange red variety that bears her name.

• How did the rose get its name? According to Greek Mythology, it was Aphrodite who gave this special flower its title.

• Even though roses don’t bear fruit, the rose hips, which are the part of the plant that is left after the rose has bloomed, contains more Vitamin C than almost any other fruit or vegetable.

• The rose is a symbol of times. In fact, it's the official National Floral Emblem of the United States.

• Who first delivered roses? Well of course it had to be our romantic French friends. It was during the 17^th Century that French explorer Samuel deChamplain brought the first cultivated roses to North America.

• Roses are transcend time and recently, archaeologists discovered the fossilised remains of wild roses that were over 40 million years old.

• During the times of ancient Greece, people used roses to decorate themselves. When festive occasions came round, they would adorn themselves with rose garlands and splash themselves with rose scented oil.

• Napoleon's wife Josephine adored roses so much that she grew more than 250 varieties.

• For the past 30 years and counting, June has been the National Rose Month in the United States.

Roses certainly have a long and interesting history. As the world’s number one delivered cut-flower why not check out our website, and order that bunch of rose blooms for someone special in your life. If you’re after something different, then we have so much to choose from, you’ll find exactly what you want at City Flowers India.