Discover Antique Roses

Antique roses, also called Victorian Roses, are said to be strong survivors and the most fragrant of the roses.  The word antique applies obviously to its history.  An antique of any kind, however, will catch a collector’s eye.  What better to put near a museum, which houses antiques, than a flowering plant also named antique?  Antiques of all kinds have gained in popularity over the years.  It makes sense that a flower with similar name, would gain as well.

Although very well-known in the southern states of the United States, an antique rose plant can also be found in other parts of the globe, including China, Canada, and Russia to name a few.  Some places in the United States that are known for antique roses are:  Brenham, TX (Antique Rose Emporium), Sebastopol, CA (Vintage Gardens), Laurens, SC (Roses Unlimited), Eustes, FL (Seminole Springs Antique Rose and Herb Farm), and in Canada (Pickering Nurseries, Inc.).

If you want your roses to stay strong in the winter, you must be sure to not neglect them in the summer months.  A healthier plant is a hardier plant.  It is said that the fall’s cooler temperatures will stimulate the antique rose plants.  It makes sense when the cooler weather also stimulates us humans.  Doesn’t a cold shower tend to get the blood flowing?  While I wouldn’t recommend giving your roses a cold shower, except by nature’s own rain, I wish only to make a point.

Many people start roses from cuttings.  I am not one blessed with a “green thumb”, so I have yet to try this.  It is interesting to think that only a piece of another plant could produce a thing of such beauty when tended properly.
Certain things should be taken into consideration when growing antique roses.  Things such as the PH balance of the soil, insects, proper grooming and pruning, fertilizing, fungus, mildew, and a late freeze are some things to guard against.
Certain things that a rose might coax for your viewing pleasure, are bumblebees and butterflies.  There are sure to be human visitors ready to pour their admiration for your beautiful antique roses.

Keep in mind that some plants will bloom only once a year, so make your selection carefully.  Be sure to consider your climate as well.  Protect your investment and you won’t be disappointed.  The price of quart sized pots range anywhere from $5.95 to $15.95-US dollars.

Antique rose memorabilia can be found in many shopping places that sell flowers.  If cash is an issue, you can check discount shops, auctions, garage sales and flea markets.

You can find items with antique rose themes in jewelry, paintings, valances, lamp shades, bedding, photo frames, stationery, and posters, to name a few.

Just the name, “Antique Rose”, carries a hint of romanticism, class, and a certain sophistication.  There is the old saying that a rose by any other name is still a rose!  Ahhh, but the many kinds we are blessed with!  And the name of this such kind seems to demand respect.

Who hasn’t heard of the most popular flowering plant of all time, the rose?  The rose plant can spark a quick conversation amongst even the shyest of persons.  Almost anyone can tell you of someone they know who has grown beautiful roses or of someone who couldn’t.  Almost anyone can tell you of someone who got or sent roses, especially around the holidays.  Even little children know what the rose plant is.

The local florist most likely has dozens of colors, types, and sizes of rose plants.  It would seem to be the best selling flower of all time.  The local discount store and even the local grocer carries some sort of rose plant these days. 
In my opinion, the best rose is one that has a strong scent.  A rose has a most distinct smell, and a scent welcome to most anyone.  The fragrance is like no other and has been reproduced in perfumes and air fresheners for years.  There are rose-scented oils and lotions, bath products.  There are rose colors and rose images galore.  You can find rose parades and people named Rose.  You can even coming out “smelling like a rose”.  All because of a mere plant that reached enormous proportions of popularity.

The rose plant is available in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and types.  It is known worldwide.  The prices vary depending on where you buy or what type and size you want.

Do you want a rose plant already started in a pot?  You may have to repot it.  Make sure you do your homework before you buy one.

When you decide what type of rose plant you’d like, think of placement.  There is a plant called the thornless rose plant that will grow in the shade.  But most rose plants are known to have thorns, so you wouldn’t want your small child or grandchild or frequent tiny visitors to happen upon something that is so pretty that they can’t resist grabbing and end up with an unwelcome handful of thorns.  It may even sour them on the enjoyment of the rose plant for life because of a tearful memory.  And roses are too beautiful to allow such a thing!

There are climbing rose plants which you most certainly wouldn’t want trailing across the ground to be stomped by animals or other foot traffic.  Some roses are delicate and unfiltered light would cook their leaves to an unwelcome brown.  If your rose plant is the type that grows into a bush, you would want to place it in a spot that allows for it to spread.
Rose plants carry so many different names, it’s probably enough to fill a small book!  Some of the names include Rose Blaze, Rose Red Eden, Rose New Dawn, Rose Neptune, Rose Zephirine, just to name a very few.  If you want a rose that sounds like it belongs in a class all its own, you could buy a Rose Paris D’Yves St. Laurent!  That’s a mouthful!  Happy Hunting!