Roses were later part of trade along with spices and silk. They also provided products such as rose water which was worth more than its weight in gold to the ancient Greeks. Flower colour, flower size and plant form have been selected traits for centuries. Unfortunately, little attention was given to the health of the roses and thus many varieties are susceptible to disease. Modern horticulturists now breed roses with disease resistance in mind.
Roses also vary in the habitats that they grow in.
The genus name for roses is Rosa , and they are part of a very large family called Rosaceae or the rose family. Other members of this family are pear, apple, peach, apricot, strawberry, raspberry, crabapple, hawthorn, mountain ash, serviceberry and ninebark. All of these have a flower that is organized into five equally-shaped parts. Because The Arboretum uses as little pesticide as possible, we choose roses that are relatively hardy and need little, if any, spraying. Section G is a special group of cultivated roses.