Roses

• Roses originate from China and are now cultivated from America to Africa and from Eastern Europe to the Far East.
• Fossil evidence indicates that roses are over 35 million years old
• The genus Rosa has some 150 species spread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from Alaska to Mexico and including northern Africa.
• Roses are available in every color except blue and true black
• Napoleon's wife Josephine established an extensive collection of roses at Chateau de Malmaison, an estate seven miles west of Paris in the 1800s. This garden became the setting for Pierre Joseph Redoute's work as a botanical illustrator. In 1824, he completed his watercolor collection "Les Rose," which is still considered one of the finest records of botanical illustration.
• Cleopatra covered the floors of her palace with a thick layer of rose petals every day. The mattresses and pillows of her bed were stuffed with rose petals.
• Shakespeare refers to roses 50 times in his writings
• The oldest rose in the world is a 1000 year old rose bush growing by the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany
• During the fifteenth century, the rose was used as a symbol for the factions fighting to control England. The white rose symbolized York, and the red rose symbolized Lancaster, as a result, the conflict became known as the "War of the Roses."
• Rose water was successfully used to cure all kinds of ailments, such as trembling, drunkenness, skin and throat infections and insomnia. There is some truth in this as we now know Rosa rugosa hips contain high levels of Vitamin C.
• During World War II when imports of citrus products were limited, rose hips became especially popular in Great Britain. Volunteers spent many hours gathering hips from hedge rows for making rose hip syrup for the Ministry of Health to distribute.
• Rose color is said to signify different things. A special rose garden has one of each.
• Red roses mean love, passion and respect.
• Pink roses mean happiness, appreciation, admiration, friendship and sympathy.
• Light pink roses mean grace, joy, gentility and admiration.
• Dark pink roses mean thankfulness.
• Lavender roses symbolize enchantment, and love at first sight.
• White roses mean spiritual love and purity.
• Yellow roses mean friendship, joy, gladness, or freedom.
• Peach roses mean modesty.
• Orange roses mean a feeling of enthusiasm, desire, and
  fascination.