Roses are popular garden shrubs, as well as the most popular and commonly sold florists’ flowers. In addition to their great economic importance as a florists crop, roses are also of great value to the perfume industry.
The wild roses includes the species listed above and some of their hybrids.
Most Old Garden Roses are classified into one of the following groups. In general, Old Garden Roses of European or Mediterranean origin are once-blooming shrubs, with notably fragrant, double-flowered blooms primarily in shades of white, pink and red. The shrubs’ foliage tends to be highly disease-resistant, and they generally bloom only on two-year-old canes.
Roses are ancient symbols of love and beauty. The rose was sacred to a number of goddesses (including Isis and Aphrodite), and is often used as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. ‘Rose’ means pink or red in a variety of languages (such as Romance languages, Greek, and Polish).
