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| "Olympiad" photo emeraldstudiophoto.com |
The first Olympics is dated to 776 BC; similarly, ornamental roses have been cultivated, dating to 500 BC in Mediterranean countries, Persia, and China.
Since the 1950’s roses have taken their names from many sources, from well-known public figures to seasonal occurrences and even the Olympics.
In the spirit of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad and to celebrate our USA team gold medals and all the beautiful roses in the world, I give you these:
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"Olympic Gold" photo au.gardenweb.com
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| "Golden Celebration" photo David Austin Roses |
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| "Gold Medal" photo heirloomroses.com |
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| "Rejoice" photo davesgarden.com |
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| "Touch of Class" photo flickr.com |
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| "Festival Fanfare" photo davesgarden.com |
Here are some facts about the process of rose naming:
- It takes about 10 years to research, develop, and introduce a rose.
- There are presently over 30,000 varieties of roses.
- In trial fields there are tens of thousands of rose bushes growing, labeled with numbers or codes.
- According to the rules set out by the registration committee of the American Rose Society, the breeder of a rose gets to name it.
- Northern Ireland’s Dickson Nurseries, owned by the world’s oldest rose-breeding family, reports that roughly one in 100,000 rose crosses actually results in a marketable rose.
