Roses are one of the most willingly planted shrubs in home gardens and allotments. We value the queen of flowers above all for the fact that even in a small space, she can conjure up a romantic atmosphere, delighting not only with the beauty of its flowers, but also with its fragrance.It is therefore not surprising that the rose became one of the first (if not first) ornamental plants in Europe and Asia.
Roses performed and still do three important functions: functional, decorative and cultural. The cradle of their cultivation is the East - most likely Persia. However, it is not known how many garden varieties grew hundreds and thousands of years ago in China. The genus Rose Rosa grows in the northern hemisphere in all climatic zones except extremely hot and cold.Many species can be cultivated as a hobby, because their requirements are small.
Most of them are frost-resistant enough - they do not require covering for the winter. They look good near various shrubs, among perennials and seasonal plants, some are suitable for hedges. The flowers attract pollinating insects, the fruit is edible, and the thorny bushes are shelters for animals. Many species of roses and their special varieties are valuable fruit plants, such as the apple rose rosa villosa 'Karpatia' or the red rose rosa rubrifolia 'Nova'.The first one creates tall shrubs, profusely producing large, dark red, soft fruits that ripen in August / September; the second one creates very dense, tall shrubs, blooms early, and its fruits are reddish-brown and harder.
He alth benefits of rose hips
Fruits, depending on the species and variety, contain 200-9000 mg of vitamin C per 100 g of fresh weight (approx.840 mg has rugosa rose rosa rugosa), which is several times more than lemons (30-50 mg), strawberries (70-80 mg), black currants (180 mg), red peppers (140 mg).Fruits give You can make delicious jams, wines, teas, jellies, but you can also make rose pesto, butter or cream.Flower petals, after removing the bitter white tip, are perfect for preserves, jellies, refreshing and alcoholic drinks (crumble), they are also suitable for making confectionery decorations (decorative roses on the cake).
Rose breeding gained momentum in the 18th century, and by the end of the last century, several dozen groups of roses of various origins had appeared: large-flowered, bedding, miniature, ground cover, climbing and park roses.Currently, most of the new varieties are wonderful decorative creations intended for cultivation in small and large gardens, in parks, in urban green areas.The biggest dream of breeders is to obtain varieties with greater tolerance to diseases.
Rose flower structure
The flower structure of new specimens is varied, often similar to old roses densely filled with petals. The color scale of the new varieties is also surprising.Blue garden varieties are still lacking, although genetic engineering has already de alt with this problem in cut flowers.For now, we have to settle for purple flowers, e.g. 'Rhapsody in Blue' (1-1.5 m), large-flowered 'Blue River' (60 cm) or 'Perennial Blue' (rambler type climbing plant) , approx. 3 m high, with small flowers).
The park's 'Hanabi' (half-full flowers resembling poppies with white and red stripes, approx. 1.5 m) are also intriguing with their color; climbing 'Elfe' (aquamarine, approx. 2 m); 'Acropolis' (aquamarine pink and brown, approx. 60 cm) and 'Cinco de Mayo' (red wine lavender). Flowers with variable, distinct colors, e.g. yellow and pink, have a ground-cover miniature 'Happy Chappy' (small double flowers, small leaves, 30-50 cm) and a ground-cover-bed 'Cubana' (full, 40-60 cm).
Roses worth knowing
The following species are among the valuable, although less known, roses with attractive shoots, interesting leaf color, impressive fruit and numerous and sometimes fragrant flowers:
- The Labrador rose rosa blanda has flabby shoots with delicate light green leaves which, with the help of spines, climb up the supports 2-3 m high. It blooms in June, and medium-sized lilac-pink flowers are clustered in large bouquets.
- Helena's rose rosa helenae with tiny yellow-morrel flowers grows as a climbing (approx. 2.5 m) or park-like rose. Its variety 'Semiplena' has semi-double flowers of a stronger shade in large and dense inflorescences.Produces numerous, orange, small fruit that remain in winter and look nice when dried.
- Rosa palustris likes wetter and slightly acidic soils near water bodies.In May-June, pale pink flowers with heart-shaped petals, pleasantly fragrant, appear, followed by red spherical fruits (1 cm in diameter), good for bouquets. Older shoots are brownish-brown, and the leaves with narrow leaves are juicy green, grayish on the underside, turning red and yellow in autumn. The bushes are erect, quite dense, about 1.5 m high.
- Roxburgh rose rosa roxburghii f. Normalis is called a chestnut rose because its fruits resemble chestnuts - they are large, green and spiky.Flat flowers with a pale pink color of petals and large yellow stamens are set on gray-brown shoots with peeling bark among leaves with numerous narrow and pointed leaves.
Rose petals worth their weight in gold
Roses used to be important as a product from which rose oil was obtained. Thousands of years ago, these shrubs were planted over vast areas. To get 1 kg of oil, you need 3-12 thousand. kg of rose petals. From one hectare you can collect 2-6 thousand. kg of flakes.
Hence the high price of the oil, for millennia an important item of trade between East and West, which only the richest could afford.Rose oil can be obtained from numerous varieties of French roses rosa gallica and damascus, rosa × damascena, as well as white, rosa × alba and centifolia rosa × centifolia. One of the most famous is the Damascus rose 'Kazanlik' rosa × damascena varosa trigintipetala from the Bulgarian Rose Valley, near Kazanlak, probably cultivated since around the 16th century. Earlier, the French rose 'Officinalis' rosa gallica, known as a pharmacy rose, was known.
Rose oil was produced from its petals, the fruits were edible, and the shoots and leaves are a valuable medicinal raw material. Grown in the garden, they smell strongly and are undemanding.Park roses can be combined with other species, especially perennials.
