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Botanical
Rose
Could a book by any other name smell as sweet? Absolutely not. The rose is the world’s favorite flower—and always has been. It is our greatest floral symbol of love and romance, and it is a bloom that touches our hearts as the flower most often chosen to celebrate significant milestones—weddings, anniversaries, births, and indeed, deaths. In this book, Catherine Horwood traces the botanical, religious, literary, and artistic journeys of the rose across the centuries, from battles to bridal bouquets.
From Cleopatra’s rose petal–filled bed to Nijinsky’s Spectre de la Rose , from the highly prized Attar of Rose oil so beloved by the ancient Persians to the rosy scents of top perfume labels today, from Shakespearean myths about the War of the Roses to the significance of roses in Queen Elizabeth I’s embroidered dresses, and even to blockade-running during the Napoleonic Wars to satisfy Empress Josephine’s passion for collecting her favorite flower, Rose blossoms with the many stories of our ardor for this botanical family. Featuring a bower of illustrations and drawing on an array of sources as rich and many-hued as roses themselves, Horwood’s tale opens our eyes and noses to the world’s major rose-growing nations. With operatic tales of medieval bestsellers, nurserymen’s rivalries, and changing tastes in our personal flower beds, Rose is certain to woo both gardeners and non-gardeners alike.
From Cleopatra’s rose petal–filled bed to Nijinsky’s Spectre de la Rose , from the highly prized Attar of Rose oil so beloved by the ancient Persians to the rosy scents of top perfume labels today, from Shakespearean myths about the War of the Roses to the significance of roses in Queen Elizabeth I’s embroidered dresses, and even to blockade-running during the Napoleonic Wars to satisfy Empress Josephine’s passion for collecting her favorite flower, Rose blossoms with the many stories of our ardor for this botanical family. Featuring a bower of illustrations and drawing on an array of sources as rich and many-hued as roses themselves, Horwood’s tale opens our eyes and noses to the world’s major rose-growing nations. With operatic tales of medieval bestsellers, nurserymen’s rivalries, and changing tastes in our personal flower beds, Rose is certain to woo both gardeners and non-gardeners alike.
- GenresHorticulture
240 pages, Hardcover
Published December 15, 2018
1 person is currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 29, 2020
It is the time of year where roses are out in bloom everywhere, gently swaying in the breeze and wafting their heady perfume across the garden. Every year in June, I get ridiculously obsessed with roses, I can't seem to get enough of them and I always get this feeling of giddiness and excitement that you might get at Christmas.
But despite my love, I have always been a bit ignorant when it comes to anything past the technical care of them. When the first few roses opened in the garden earlier this year, I felt it was time to read ‘Rose’ by Catherine Horwood. I won this book through a Twitter competition last year; it is a beautiful hardback with a dainty pink rose on the cover, I know you shouldn’t be but when it comes to book covers I am a bit superficial! It is part of a series of monographs by Reaktion Books who have also published monograph titles on Poppy, Geranium, Apple and Tulip – all of which I really want to read and own as a collection because it would look beautiful on one’s shelf!
Check out more garden based book reviews on my blog - WhatKatyDigs.com
In essence this book covers the history, economics and social status of the rose through time. Starting 40 million years ago, we look at the discovery, parentage and diversity of the genus Rosa and the vast number of species which have developed over time.
I read this with a note book next to me, making sure to jot down the names of particular roses that sounded interesting such as Rosa ‘Mermaid’. There are others which I now need to find space for in my garden, such as Rosa ‘Roald Dhal’ which smells like tea and Rosa ‘William Lobb’ which is a deeply scented magenta Moss rose which has ‘fluffy’ stems.
Throughout, the book is illustrated with botanical drawings, photos, ancient scripts and iconography of our beloved flower. There are also recipes in the back for both edible and non-edible uses of the rose, including rose hip jam, rose vodka and how to make pot-pourri.
There wasn’t a lot of technical or scientific information regarding the rose which I would have really liked to see, as it was the only area that wasn’t really covered. I really enjoy plant science and want to understand more about breeding cultivars, but that may just be me.
The book had a lot of steam at the beginning, which became slow and a touch repetitive towards the last third of the book. It is sort of set out in topical chapters but there is quite a lot of overlap, especially with the ancient history which is referred to throughout the book.
It is obvious how much research has gone into the writing of this book and is quite academic in parts. However, it is still very much readable so don’t let that put you off. It is full of interesting anecdotes and there are many references to people who have spent their careers pouring over the history of the rose – of whom I now want to learn more about.
Reading this has opened my eyes to the diversity and global domination of the rose. It is a rich history which spans many thousands of years because of the love that people throughout time have had for it, myself included, regardless of its thorny nature.
This book is the author's love letter to Roses as she clearly adores them. I would recommend this book if you would like to dip your toe into the rose’s history and broaden your understanding of them as a genus. If you want to know more about how to grow and care for them this is not the book for you and I would suggest something like Alan Titchmarsh’s How to Garden: Growing Roses.
But despite my love, I have always been a bit ignorant when it comes to anything past the technical care of them. When the first few roses opened in the garden earlier this year, I felt it was time to read ‘Rose’ by Catherine Horwood. I won this book through a Twitter competition last year; it is a beautiful hardback with a dainty pink rose on the cover, I know you shouldn’t be but when it comes to book covers I am a bit superficial! It is part of a series of monographs by Reaktion Books who have also published monograph titles on Poppy, Geranium, Apple and Tulip – all of which I really want to read and own as a collection because it would look beautiful on one’s shelf!
Check out more garden based book reviews on my blog - WhatKatyDigs.com
In essence this book covers the history, economics and social status of the rose through time. Starting 40 million years ago, we look at the discovery, parentage and diversity of the genus Rosa and the vast number of species which have developed over time.
I read this with a note book next to me, making sure to jot down the names of particular roses that sounded interesting such as Rosa ‘Mermaid’. There are others which I now need to find space for in my garden, such as Rosa ‘Roald Dhal’ which smells like tea and Rosa ‘William Lobb’ which is a deeply scented magenta Moss rose which has ‘fluffy’ stems.
Throughout, the book is illustrated with botanical drawings, photos, ancient scripts and iconography of our beloved flower. There are also recipes in the back for both edible and non-edible uses of the rose, including rose hip jam, rose vodka and how to make pot-pourri.
There wasn’t a lot of technical or scientific information regarding the rose which I would have really liked to see, as it was the only area that wasn’t really covered. I really enjoy plant science and want to understand more about breeding cultivars, but that may just be me.
The book had a lot of steam at the beginning, which became slow and a touch repetitive towards the last third of the book. It is sort of set out in topical chapters but there is quite a lot of overlap, especially with the ancient history which is referred to throughout the book.
It is obvious how much research has gone into the writing of this book and is quite academic in parts. However, it is still very much readable so don’t let that put you off. It is full of interesting anecdotes and there are many references to people who have spent their careers pouring over the history of the rose – of whom I now want to learn more about.
Reading this has opened my eyes to the diversity and global domination of the rose. It is a rich history which spans many thousands of years because of the love that people throughout time have had for it, myself included, regardless of its thorny nature.
This book is the author's love letter to Roses as she clearly adores them. I would recommend this book if you would like to dip your toe into the rose’s history and broaden your understanding of them as a genus. If you want to know more about how to grow and care for them this is not the book for you and I would suggest something like Alan Titchmarsh’s How to Garden: Growing Roses.
September 29, 2021
Very useful, especially considering the immense size of other books on roses. Manages to condense a great deal of info gracefully
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews