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Books on roses.
Roses are beautiful in shape, colour and fragrance. With their thorny stems, roses demand respect. From wild blossoms to the most complex modern flowers, a rose garden in full bloom is one of the most wonderfully uplifting sights.
Here we review some of the best books on roses - books with wonderful images of roses, books with the best advice on how to grow roses.
A rose, a rose,
My kingdom for a rose!
Anon
The rose is a flower rich in symbolism and history. During the Wars of the Roses (1399 - 1485) each side chose as its symbol a rose: the Lancastrians a red rose, the Yorkists a white rose. More recently, the rose has been selected as the symbol of political parties: when the British Labour Party was trying to reinvent itself as new labour, it rifled the book of symbols and came up with... the red rose.
The rose's history goes back, not just centuries, but millenia. 2,500 years ago, the Greek poet Sappho named them the Queen of Flowers, and he wasn't wrong. They are mentioned in the Iliad and the Odyssey. In the 5th century BC the historian Herodotus described King Midas's rose garden in Phrygia.
The first book on roses was, arguably, was written a century later, by an author called Theophrastus. He wrote botanical descriptions of contemporary roses being grown in Egypt and Greece. Desiccated rose petals have been found embalmed with Egyptian mummies, are thought to be Rosa x richardii, a hybrid still cultivated today under the common name St. John's Rose" or "Rose of the Tombs."
Around the same time Confucius commented on extensive rose plantings in the Peking Imperial Gardens but he never wrote a whole book about roses.
Rose blossoms appear in Cretan frescoes dating to 1,600 BC; ancient Assyrian and Babylonian architects used roses to inspire architectural decorations. And Asian coins have been found with rose motifs from as long ago as 4,000 BC.
So you are looking for a book on roses. Below, we review the best rose books on the market. Enjoy, and as you tuck yourself up with your rose book, smile, and think of all those people over the the millennia who have taken so much pleasure from the Queen of Flowers.
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Phillips and Rix are acknowledged leaders in their fields. The perfect combination of painter/photographer/gardener and botanist/plant collector/gardener balances the technical know-how with the aesthetic evaluation and the partnership has produced some 25 books. And this one is no disappointment.
Clearly illustrated, all the finest roses are here, from the original wild species to the more modern varieties. The confusing divisions of Hybrid Teas, climbers, ramblers, Floribundas, David Austin's English Roses - all are explained.
A little introduction to each kind of rose is followed by a listing with description of growing habit, origins, use, and cultivation guidelines.
Highly recommended.
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One of Dr Hessayon's classic and evergreen Expert bestsellers. Slightly old-fashioned, but dependable. Clearly laid out in his inimitable style with concise, dogmatic and accurate information. This book is part of the staple diet of rose growers worldwide.
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Peter Beales, a famous rose grower, whose nursery in Norfolk has produced many gold medals at Chelsea, President of the Royal National Rose Society and holder of the RHS's highest medal, presents a personal view of "his" plant.
The photography, by Marianne Majerus, is superb, and the book is inspirational and makes a nice gift.
This is very much a personal odyssey. As Beales explains, the publisher invited him to reflect on his 'lifetime's experience with roses', rather than write another manual. For instance, here are his comments on Rosa Bracteata: 'I first came upon the beautiful R.Bracteata growing in the open at La Landriana, a lovely garden near Rome. In England, I had seen it only in conservatories, as it is not thought hardy enough to grow out of doors. I have now seen it in other Mediterranean and Californian gardens and over the last three or four years have grown it in a large pot in Norfolk; so far it has survived. It has large, soft primrose-yellow flowers amid a multitude of foliage and many thorns. Here, it takes a rest in late summer, flowering again in late autumn; in warmer climates it flowers throughout the year.' Then you can check the details in the Directory at the back (though nowhere can you find a picture).
Maybe I would have preferred to see the rose, rather than reflect jealously on how Mr Beales has been able to travel the world in pursuit of the perfect rose. But probably this is just sour grapes.
Altogether a book packed with inspiration and information, and if that is not always presented in the most logical way, well - he never promised us a rose garden, more a reflection on his passion.
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A comprehensive guide that gives even a novice every chance to enjoy the beauty, fragrance and colour that well grown roses provide. The objective is pleasure more than work. This easy-care guide steers you through the all the essential aspects of rose culture from planting, pruning, maintaining and enjoying roses. There is a section on how to identify roses that will give you the best results with minimum fuss. There are hints on purchasing to make sure that the plants you buy will be the best value and quality you can find.
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Part of the 'Gardens by Design' series, these are compact, well-designed books. This visual guide to old roses provides a practical sourcebook for the gardener, and can also be used as a reference book for the designer or painter, or simply enjoyed for the beauty of the images. In the words of the author, "Old roses have history attached to them to a degree unequalled by any other race of plants; among the 'dearest freshness deep down things', they are plants of incomparable beauty and deepest mystery.'
A quick skim through the history of the rose in general, and in literature, leads on to a full colour photograph and a page of text on each kind of old rose, with snippets on the history, colour, scent and growing habits of each, along with cultivation and siting tips.
A nice gift, a good introduction to a lovely flower.
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That's it for roses. Click here to suggest a book on roses and we'll do our best to review it.
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