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The Rose

The Basics

The national flower of England has a rich symbolic history. Emblem of contending royal houses, symbol of secrecy, purity and love, appearing on the shirts of rugby union players or as the logo of the Labour Party, it has long been our favourite bloom. Roses are scattered through English poetry, and have their own language when exchanged between lovers, their varying colours carrying many different meanings.

rose silhouette
Rose-breeding has always been a national passion too, as is witnessed by the David Austin nursery in Shropshire, which has seen new strains of rose named after various national figures, from Constance Spry in 1963 to the more recent, but no less lovely, Alan Titchmarsh.

The history of rose-growing is full of stern challenges, such as the quest to produce a properly blue rose, while the flowers’ crushed petals have played crucial roles in medicine, exotic confectionery and the perfume industry.