Roses have a long and colourful history. They have been symbols of love, beauty, secrecy and war.
The rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. The majority originated in Asia and a few in temperate zones such as North America and Europe. The genus is, according to fossil evidence, 35 million years old.
Roses can be erect, climbing or trailing, and often have stems armed with sharp prickles. Flowers vary widely in colour, size and shape, and are usually large and showy.
Roses have been cultivated for thousands of years. Paintings of roses have been discovered in Egyptian pyramid tombs from the 14th century BC. Records exist of them being grown in Chinese gardens and Greek gardens from at least 500 BC.
The rose has been associated with secrecy since ancient times. Conversations taking place under a real or an image of the rose were considered “sub rosa” – confidential. Five-petalled roses were often carved on Christian confessionals, indicating that the conversations would remain secret.
During the fifteenth century, the rose was used as a symbol for the factions fighting to control England. The white rose symbolised York, and the red rose symbolised Lancaster, as a result, the conflict became known as the "War of the Roses." The Tudor Rose is a combination of the two roses, symbolising reconciliation between the two warring families.
It wasn't until the late eighteenth century that cultivated roses were introduced into Europe from China. Most modern-day roses can be traced back to this ancestry.
In the Sensory Garden of the Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden the climbing rose, Rosa 'Pierre de Ronsard' covers the white arbour in glory while the beautiful white (Glamis Castle) and red (William Shakespeare) David Austin roses fill the walled garden with their heavenly scent.
Ian McAlister and Karen Hagan