Origin: China
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Rosa
Uses: Fragrance, fresh flowers and floral, and gardens
Common Classes: Hybrid Tea, Grandiflora, Floribunda, Miniature, Climbing, Landscape
Fun Facts: As the U.S. National Flower, there are more than 150 rose species. It takes 10,000 pounds of rose petals to make 1 liter of Rose oil, a widely used component in making perfumes.
A Bit of History: Garden roses have been front and center since the Middle Ages when they were widely grown for medicinal qualities. Today, landscape roses are the main component of the North American rose industry. Once considered just a hodgepodge of varieties that did not fit any of the other categories, they have led a revolution thanks to the work of Griffith Buck in the 1950s at Iowa State University. His work led to the development of Meidiland in the 1980s, Flower Carpet in the 1990s and 2000s and now The Knock Out and Drift series.
Contributors: Easy Elegance by Bailey Nurseries, First Edition Plants by Bailey Nurseries, Proven Winners, Star Roses
Source: National Garden Bureau.
Editor’s Note: We realize that roses are not grown from seed but wanted to recognize the efforts of breeders in giving consumers more choice.
