Sunday, June 10, 2007

Apothecary's Rose


Apothecary's Rose
Rosa gallica var. officinalis 'Apothecary's Rose'

This rose was blooming at the nursery when I bought my roses. I had seen and heard of it before but was unaware of it’s history. Here is an article the explains it more eloquently then I could:

Rose Magazine.com


One thing that I didn’t realize was that this rose can grow in part shade. That certainly is something that I will remember. I guess it has been collecting names through the centuries.

Synonyms:
Apothekecary's Rose
Apothekerrose
Common Provins Rose
Officinalis
Old Red Damask
Red Provence
Red Rose of Lancaster
Rosa gallica duplex
Rosa gallica maxima
Rosa gallica var. officinalis Ser.
Rosier de Provins ordinaire
Rosa gallica var. duplex
Rosa gallica var. maxima

At the nursery they had another Old Garden Rose called Rosa Mundi which is the same species as the Apothecary's Rose. It is a striped rose which at first glance I didn’t like but after looking at it for awhile thought that it was pleasant to the eye. While I was intrigued by these old roses I don’t think I will give up my modern types anytime soon. I do have respect for any plant that has lasted that long in cultivation.



I wasn't happy with the way my close ups came out of Rosa Mundi but this shot gives you an idea of what the flower looks like.

This one also has a long list of synonyms:
Fair Rosamond's Rose
Garnet Striped Rose
La Panachée
La Villageoise (syn. 'Rosa Mundi')
Panaché (gallica, Unknown, before 1581)
Provins Oeillet
Provins Panaché
Rosa gallica 'Rosa Mundi'
Rosa gallica var. variegata hort. ex Andrews
Rosa gallica var. versicolor L.
Rosamondi
Rosamunde (Gallica)
Rosemonde (syn. 'Rosa Mundi')
Rosier de France a fleurs panachées
Striped Rose of France
Versicolor (syn. 'Rosa Mundi')

Today is the big Garden Party. It is a relief for June 10th to finally be here. It is cloudy and cool with a few showers, which I hope clear up before 1 pm. It is better than being blazing hot I suppose. I always get a bit of a knot in my stomach when a lot of people visit the garden. Invariably everyone enjoys it and is complimentary. I am leading a tour at 2 o’clock and that should be fun as I can espouse on some of my favorite plants and some of the war stories it took to get the garden to this point.

3 comments:

Silvia Hoefnagels . Salix Tree said...

I've always wondered how easy Rosa Mundi would be to care for. I love striped and speckled roses, and this one always catches my eye. Plus, it's the name of a polka, one my Mom loves and used to play on her accordian. I hadn't realised it would take some shade, I could possibly grow it next to my alba rose by the wall.

Amy Stewart said...

Beautiful roses! I posted a response to your comment on GardenRant with some ideas--hope you have time to check it out.
cheers,
Amy

Unknown said...

How interesting... I have always thought the Apothecary's Rose was beautiful. Now I'll probably think of it as the "Apothekerrose" instead because I think that's a fun name. :)