R. damascena bifera [Damask]
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[ INTRODUCTION ]

What kind of roses are old roses?
People have discussed again and again over the definition of old roses for many years. Recently most people came to the conclusion that roses before 1867 when the first Hybrid Tea, La France, was bred are old roses.


The history of roses must be very old, because there are rose fossils of 35 million years ago. In Crete island, gold pins with single rose flower on the end were discovered. Also here in Crete, you can see a rose in a fresco painted on a wall at Knossos. We may call those ancient roses including wild or species roses old roses if we understand the meaning in a broad sense.

The word of old roses itself is not definitive. Some people call them old-fashioned roses. Others call them classic roses. Among the old roses, the oldest rose which originated various hybrid roses is Gallica.

ROSES CALLED OLD ROSES [ BRIEF EXPLANATION ]

(All photos were taken at Kiho's garden.)


* English rose - Evelyn* Masako(Eglantyne)

-- Bibliography --


Austin, David, David Austin's ENGLISH ROSES, Conran Octopus Limited, 1996
Beales, Peter, ROSES, HARVILL, 1992
Phillips, Roger & Rix, Martyn, ROSES, Pan Books Ltd, 1988
Sinclair, Alan & Thodey, Rosemary, GARDENING WITH OLD ROSES, Cassell Publishers Limited, 1993


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