My Virtual Garden: Roses and Waterlilies

The Montreal Botanic Garden consists of 30 thematic gardens, the first of which is the

Rose Garden. A friendly bronze lion stands guard at the entrance above a bed of white

shrub roses, "Alba Meidiland." Two paths are lined for a quarter of a mile with every

variety of roses, and they were all blooming last week.

"Alba Meidiland" white shrub roses.

Roses form a group of plants that can be erect shrubs, climbing or trailing with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers vary in size and shape and are usually large and showy, in colors ranging from white through yellows and reds. Most species are native to Asia, with smaller numbers native to Europe, North America, and northwestern Africa. Species, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and often are fragrant.

"All American Beauty" hybrid tea rose.

Modern Roses are a broad mix which include the following four basic types: Floribunda,

Grandiflora, Hybrid Tea, and Shrub. There are other subvarieties.

Hybrid Tea Roses are a Cultivar Group of roses, created by cross-breeding two different

types of roses. Grown one flower to a long stem, they are supported by long, straight and

upright stems. Hybrid Tea Roses can be as tall as 6 feet. Each rose bloom can be

up to 5" in diameter..

"Tabris" floribunda roses.

Floribunda (Latin for "many-flowering") is a modern group of garden roses that was
developed by crossing hybrid teas with polyantha roses. The idea was to create roses
that bloomed with the polyantha profusion, but with hybrid tea floral beauty and color range.
Typical floribundas feature stiff shrubs, smaller and bushier than the average hybrid tea but
less dense and sprawling than the average polyantha. The flowers are often smaller than hybrid
teas but are carried in large sprays, giving a better floral effect in the garden.

"Day Breaker" floribunda rose

Ornamental roses have been cultivated for millennia, with the earliest known cultivation
known to date from at least 500 BC in Mediterranean countries, Persia, and China. Many
thousands of rose hybrids and cultivars have been bred and selected for garden use
as flowering plants.

"Scotch Medley" grandiflora rose.

Grandiflora roses blend the best traits of hybrid teas and floribundas. They produce
the same elegantly shaped blooms as hybrid teas, but in long-stemmed clusters
that continually repeat, like floribundas. The plants tend to be tall (up to 7 feet), hardy,
and disease-resistant.

"Maid of Honor" hybrid tea rose

"Heart and Soul" shrub rose.

Shrub roses take the best of the hardiest rose species, and combine those traits
with modern repeat blooming and diverse flower forms, colors and fragrances.
Some shrub roses may grow tall, with vigorous, far-reaching canes; others stay compact.
Recent rose breeding has focused on developing hardier shrub roses for landscaping
that need little to no maintenance.

Two "Heart and Soul" shrub roses

"Yankee Doodle" hybrid tea rose

Another "Yankee Doodle" hybrid tea rose

"Touch of Class" hybrid tea rose

"About Face" grandiflora ros

I don't memorize all the names nor do I take notes, but there is a label beside each plant
in the Garden giving its botanical and common names. With a digital camera, it is easy
to take a photo of the label and have all the information right at hand beside the flower.

"Countess Celeste" shrub rose

Color Symbolism of roses:

Yellow Rose: Joy, Protection against envious lovers, Mature love
White Rose: Purity, Sanctity, Secret admirer, Mysticism
Red Rose: Sacrifice, Immortal love, Health, Memorial, Passion
Pink Rose: First love, Innocence, Healing

"Abbey of Cluny" hybrid tea rose.

Can you imagine the monks at Cluny, in Eastern France, enjoying the color and
fragrance of these beautiful roses each time they walked around the clouster saying
their prayers?

"Chris Evert " hybrid tea rose, in honor of the great tennis player.

"Elle" hybrid tea rose

"Singin' in the Rain" floribunda rose, clusters of flowers

"Celine Dion" shrub rose

Celine's fans often cover the stage at the end of one of her concerts with hundreds
of these colorful roses. While in Montreal, I saw a photo of Celine's recent visit to
Montreal and a stage completely covered in Celine Roses.

"Charlotte Brownell" hybrid rose

In Christian symbolism, a rose bush was said to have grown at the site of Christ's death.
His blood shed is often associated with a red rose, and combined with its thorns,
it thus symbolized the ultimate sacrifice.

"Rainbow Sorbet: hybrid rose

The rose was an icon of veneration in the pre-Christian era, and was used in ancient Rome to symbolize devotion to the goddess Venus. Following the Christianization of Rome under the
Emperor Constantine, the rose became identified with the Virgin Mary. The rose symbol
eventually led to the creation of the rosary prayer and devotional object.

"Always Rosy" hybrid tea rose

The rose is the national flower of England, a usage dating back to the English civil wars of the fifteenth century (later called Wars of the Roses), in which a red rose represented the House of Lancaster, and a white rose represented the House of York. The Tudor dynasty created
the Tudor rose, which united both the white and the red roses, a symbolism dramatized by Shakespeare in his play Richard III.

"House of Orange" hybrid tea rose

In Christian art, the white rose is a symbol of purity, the gold or yellow rose a symbol
of impossible perfection and papal benediction, and the red rose a symbol for martyrdom.

"Chicago Peace" hybrid tea rose

The rose is a frequent symbol for the Virgin Mary, who is called a "rose without thorns"
since she was free of original sin. This may refer to St. Ambrose's legend that the rose grew,
without thorns, in the Garden of Eden. After the Fall, it became an earthly plant, and the
thorns appeared as a reminder of man's sins and fall from grace. The scent and beauty
remained as a poignant reminder of the lost perfection of Paradise.

"Chicago Peace" hybrid tea rose

"Eureka" floribunda rose, growing in clusters

On the rosary, the Joyful Mysteries, those relating to the happy events in Mary's life,
were white roses; those relating to her suffering, the Sorrowful Mysteries, were red;
and the Glorious Mysteries, the triumphant events, were symbolized by the yellow
or golden rose. The rosary can be considered a symbolic wreath of red, white,
and yellow roses.

"Never Alone" shrub rose with many, smaller flowers

"Golden Centennial" shrub rose

Japanese Garden

White Water Lilies / Nymphaea Candida

Egyptian white water lilies open at night and close in the morning.

There are a number of concrete lined pools in the Water Lily Garden. Paths lead to the
Chinese Garden and Japanese Garden from here.

Blue Water Lilies / Nymphaea Capensis

Yellow Water Lilies / Nymphaea Mexicana

The lake in the Japanese Garden is surrounded by flowering cherry trees, which are
particularly beautiful in the spring. The formal tea ceremony is performed in the
pavilion of the Japanese Garden.