Let The Roses Rise (Part 1)

Birthday flowers are ascribed by tradition for those born on any given date in the year in Europe and the West. In a cultural sense, flower characteristics such as appearance, color, and scent, have relevance as gifts. It is believed that it were the Romans who started celebrating birth and birthdays using flowers.

Seasonal flowers were used not just for decoration, but also taken as gifts and therefore can probably be credited with the tradition of birth flowers.

Since the jewelry design in this post is a rose, let me share with you the various roses or rose-relating items found in the list of birthday flowers in Wikipedia.

I am not sure how true the list is since it has listed 31 types of flowers/items representing the days for every month and hmm…we don’t have 31 days for every month eh? So this is just for the sake of fun learning :

Rosa Multiflora (2nd January)

Rosa Multiflora is a species of rose native to eastern Asia, in China, Japan and Korea. It is grown as an ornamental plant, and also used as a rootstock for grafted ornamental rose cultivars.

Some places classify Multiflora rose as a “noxious weed”.  In grazing areas, this rose is generally considered to be a serious pest, though it is considered excellent fodder for goats.

Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_multiflora

Rosa Rugosa (7th January)

Rosa Rugosa  is a species of rose native to eastern Asia, in northeastern China, Japan, Korea and southeastern Siberia, where it grows on the coast, often on sand dunes.

It is widely used as an ornamental plant and has been introduced to numerous areas of Europe and North America. The sweetly scented flowers are used to make pot-pourri in Japan and China, where it has been cultivated for about a thousand years.

The Rosa Rugosa has many common names, several of which refer to the fruit’s resemblance to a tomato, like Beach Tomato or Sea Tomato.

Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_rugosa

May Rose (3rd February)

I have problem in finding the exact information for this particular rose, so I am not sure if this May Rose is actually referring to the Marjorie May Rose. Anyway, why not take a look at this particular rose?

Marjorie May Rose is a Floribunda rose which produces clusters of large, slightly fragrant, rich orange flowers, blended with pinks and yellows. Leaves are leathery, semi-glossy. Often the flowers are very fragrant.

Most varieties grow on long canes that sometimes climb. Unfortunately, this favorite plant is quite susceptible to a variety of diseases and pests, many of which can be controlled with good cultural practices.

Read more at http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pda_2e68.html

Yellow Rose (2nd March)

Somewhere in the 18^th Century, yellow wild roses were discovered growing in the Middle East. When these were brought back to Europe they caused a sensation. Immediately they were planted and the first attempts at hybridization with yellow roses took place.

There are three yellow species roses, which formed the foundation for modern yellow rose hybrids: Rosa Ecae, Rosa Foetida and Rosa Hemisphaerica.

With the advent of the yellow genes being hybridized into European roses came a weakness: blackspot. The yellow rose species were not capable of resistance to this dreadful fungal disease. However, with time and patience, the hybridizers began turning out some lovely creations.

Most of the initial yellow roses still suffered blackspot and were not terribly vigorous, but the blooms began to take on fuller shapes, pleasant fragrance and varying shades from pale lemon to almost peach/copper.

Yellow roses have come a long way since that first introduction. They demonstrate tremendous vigor both as shrubs and climbers and come in a variety of flower form from single to densely petal packed doubles in many glorious shades of pale lemon creams, deep golds, true yellows, buff yellows, peach yellows, and coppery yellows.

Read more at http://www.rosemagazine.com/pages/yellowrose.asp

Carolina Rose (??? 30th Feb ???)

The Carolina Rose is is a member of the rose family which includes about 2,000 species of trees, shrubs, and herbs worldwide; approximately 77 native and 9 naturalized tree species and many species of shrubs and herbs in North America.

A low, freely suckering shrub, Carolina rose grows 1-3 ft. high. From thorny stems are borne fragrant, 2 inches wide, 5-petaled, pink flowers. Flowers occur singly or in small clusters. The fruit, a hip, turns from dark green to bright red as it ripens.

Read more at http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ROCA4

Rose-Scented Geraniums (4th April)

This is not a rose but a rose-scented plant. Well, why not learn more?

In nature, there are some plants and flowers that have complex aromas and flavors. Scented geraniums are all actually members of species Pelagornium; they are not true geraniums. The name pelagornium and geranium both have Greek roots and refer to the long, bill like seed that each plant produces.

Growing scented geraniums became a popular pastime of the people in Victorian England, where they would raise them in heated greenhouses. This trend continued until 1914 when fuel to heat the green houses was banned due to the war.

Synthetic rose oil is made using rose scented geraniums. The dried leaves are also used in sachets and potpourri. In aromatherapy rose scented geranium is used for facial steams as it is reputed to have anti-aging effects on the skin. It is also reputed to ease insomnia and have an antidepressant effect.

Rose scented geranium is often used to flavor jellies. Any of the leaves can be steeped in milk to extract their particular flavor (such as nutmeg, cinnamon, or apricot), and then added to custards, puddings, or sauces.

Read more at http://www.sallybernstein.com/food/columns/gilbert/geraniums.htm

Withered Rose (20th May)

Withered Rose?? Seriously??

According to merriam-webster.com, withered rose is defined as a grayish red to moderate reddish brown…What the…

I guess this is a bit redundant, so here’s a poem, Poor Withered Rose by Robert Seymour Bridges (1844–1930), which I think it is worth sharing:

POOR wither’d rose and dry

 Skeleton of a rose,

Risen to testify

To love’s sad close

Treasur’d for love’s sweet sake

That of joy past

Thou mightst again awake

Memory at last

Yet is thy perfume sweet

Thy petals red

Yet tell of summer heat

 And the gay bed

Yet, yet recall the glow

Of the gazing sun

When at thy bush we two

Join’d hands in one

But, rose, thou hast not seen

Thou hast not wept

The change that pass’d between

Whilst thou hast slept

To me thou seemest yet

The dead dream’s thrall

While I live and forget

Dream, truth, and all

Thou art more fresh than I

Rose, sweet and red

Salt on my pale cheeks lie

The tears I shed

Taken from http://www.bartleby.com/246/782.html

Bridal Rose (26th May)

White (Bridal) Rose symbolizes a happy love.

The origins of the tradition of wedding petals are not so clear-cut, but it is known that in medieval England, it was traditional for the bride to be preceded by a flower girl on her way to church, who would strew fresh rose petals before her to signify happiness.

The colors of such wedding rose petals are often chosen to match the bridesmaid’s dresses, and they can also be used to decorate floral walkways at the reception.

Fresh rose petals are frequently used as table decorations, and if fresh petals are not available, many outlets sell freeze-dried rose petals that look just the same.

Read more at http://www.weddingtosses.com/rose-petal-history.shtml

Cistaceae (16th June)

The Cistaceae (or rock-rose family, rock rose family) is a small family of plants known for its beautiful shrubs, which are profusely covered by flowers at the time of blossom.

The ability of Cistaceae to thrive in many Mediterranean habitats follows from two important ecological properties: mycorrhizal ability and fast renewal after wildfire.

Most Cistaceae have the ability to create symbiotic relationship with root fungi of genus Tuber. In this relationship, the fungus complements the root system in its task of absorbing water and minerals from the soil, and thus allows the host plant to dwell on particularly poor soils.

Cistaceae have also optimally adapted to the wildfires that frequently eradicate large areas of forest. The plants cast their seeds in the soil during the growth period, but the latter don’t germinate right in the next season. Their hard coating is impermeable to the water, and thus the seeds remain dormant for a long period of time.

This together with their small size allows it to establish a large seed bank rather deep in the soil. Once the fire comes and kills the vegetation in the area, the seed coating softens or cracks as a result of the heating, and the surviving seeds germinate shortly after the fire.

This mechanism allows the Cistaceae to produce a large number of young shoots simultaneously and at the right time, and thus to obtain an important advantage over other plants in the process of repopulating the area.

Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cistaceae

Hellebore (25th June)

Hellebores (sometimes known as the Christmas or Lenten rose) are perennial garden plants with elegant flowers, perfect for brightening up shady areas during late winter and early spring. Some species are grown for their striking evergreen architectural foliage.

Many species are poisonous. Despite names such as “Christmas rose” and “Lenten rose”, hellebores are not closely related to the rose family.

Read more at http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=113

I am covering the first six months of the year in this post because dinner is starting and I am hungry.

I’ve had fun searching for these information and I do hope you’ll have fun reading them as well.

Till then,

Cheers & TTFN~ 😀