National Red Rose Day

June 12th is National Red Rose Day, so it's a good day to take a closer look at the beauty. The plant is millions of years old with some saying it dates as far back as 35 million years. The rose has been one of the world's most poplar flowers for a number of years, and red roses are seen as special, since they symbolize romantic love. An English revolution was named after them (the War of the Roses) between the House of Lancaster (represented by a red rose) and the House of York (represented by a white rose). The House of Lancaster with the red rose won.

There are over a hundred species of roses and many more varieties with a wide range of colors. Most of them were original to Asia, but some were also found in Europe, North America, and northwestern Africa. Today they are cultivated nearly all over the world, and gardeners work to develop new species all the time. In fact, the majority of the ornamental roses we use today are hybrids.

The rose plant is related to the berry family, and therefore, their leaves resemble that of blackberries. A rose's fruit is known as rose hips, which are used in perfumes, creams, medicines, flavorings, and can even be made into jams and jellies. However, the primary use has always been a rose garden or a beautiful vase of the flowers. They rarely fail to bring a smile.

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