Evening star., 1938-07-30
Many Roses
Name
OfWonnen
Romance, History
Follow Flowers
Development.
BY J. A, GAMBLE.

A STUDY of rose names calls up
and recounts the romance and
history of the world. Roses came down
with man through the ages. Wild sorts
OF this flower are known to have ex-
listed for hundreds Of years in Europe,
Asia, Africa and America. The trav-
elers of the human race have spread
them. Gifted lovers of the beautiful
in nature have improved them.
Strange as 1t may seem, the glorious
roses of today were developed from the
fragrant wild single roses OF the
world. Each of these thousands of i'm
proved varieties has its own individu-
ality, beauty. form. color and appeal.
Each is called by its own name.
There seems little doubt that the
wild ancestors Of the human race in
their travels through forest and field,
in search of food to satisfy the ever
returning hunger of their home brood,
met and claimed these wild ancestors
Of the rose. They brought and planted
them near their rude shelters called
homes" Thus the rose, Towering
close to man down through the CEN
turies, helped awaken the sense of
beauty in him and this, with the
practice of arts made him civilized.
The universal appeal of this flower
came from its wide origin, its fragrance
and susceptibility to improvement. 1t
later was nodded into forms which
fitted the mood and fancy of its i'm
mediate possessor. The great differ
ence in roses, for each has individu-
ality, attest to this. Because this. is
true, something of what was in the
mind Of each rose improver is re-
vealed in the character of the rose he
produced and. the names which he
gave them. Each variety and kind of
rose Is beautiful to some.
Mary Eberhardt reflects this in her
lines:
Across the shining road of time.
a fragrant f1owery chart,
Goo sent rose for every cline,
A rose for every heart"
Since the days of Josephine of
France, early in the 10Th century, over
sixteen thousand new rose varieties
have been perfected, named and dis
seminated. Each has usually reigned
short space until superseded by ii
better one of its kind. Tastes in roses
change more rapidly than most people
realize. For example, in the Bagatelle
Rose Garden in Paris, the gold medal
winners each year, since this contest
was started, have been planted in an
oval behind that chateau. A study Of
the roses in this oval illustrates clearly
how rose tastes in Europe change from
year to year.
In the trial gardens at Bagatelle
the new roses of the world sent there
for competitive trial in any one year
reflect the rose tastes of the countries
and people where they are propagated.
The new roses from Spain, in the
main, are flashy in color, while the
clear yellows, whites, reds and pink are
from other countries.
Man has always loved woman. He
no doubt brought the first wild rose
sorts to his lady love. This interest
and esteem is in part behind the in
centive to develop more beautiful roses
The names which he gave his finest
rose creations bear this out. For while
In rose nomenclature all manner of
titles appear, 1t would seem that OF
the very best rose varieties each bear
the name of some woman These in
clude a list Of over one thousand va
rieties bearing the prefix of Mrs. or
Madam. Add to these the names of
nurses and those who have served
humanity with their lives; add also the
Misses and Madamoiselles. Another
large group include the names of
ladies of all ranges and ranks of no.
oility, from Lady to Warehouses;.
Duchesses, Countesses, Princesses and
Queens. These roses and their names
are each altogether lovel- and desir-
able. Take your choic4 Rose prefer
ences are in the realm of personal
affairs.
One has but to visit the home gar
dens of Washington to learn the. special
rose variety and rose names preferred
by each owner. They can't plant all
they like for lack Of space 20 that the
few varieties each have azs those