Roses : A Celebration

by Wayne Winterrowd

'What is this rose,' the great rosarian Graham Stuart Thomas asks, 'that enslaves gardeners?...Why, in short, does everyone love a rose, and what does it offer that other flowers lack?' Wayne Winterrowd posed this question to thirty-two eminent fellow gardeners, who join him in giving their highly original and engaging responses in this book. Michael Pollan, is 'dazzled, smitten...bowled over' by 'Maiden's Blush' (known in France as 'Cuisse de Nymphe Emue'), while Mirabel Osler honours Rosa sancta, the Holy Rose of Abyssinia, only to find that for others it may 'stink of the Fall'. Christopher Lloyd gleefully tells of rousting out him mother's extensive but troublesome collection at Great Dixter - allowing, though, a few indispensables to stay on, for, as he concedes, 'Some roses are worth struggling for, after all.' Winterrowd's contributors constitute a Who's Who of contemporary garden writers. Their highly personal essays are rich with reminiscence, with prejudice, with love remembered or recently experienced and sometimes with cantankerous personal opinion. Many offer fascinating historical information or valuable tips on culture. All of them, whether with new passion or grudging admiration, celebrate the rose, a flower that has been treasured since pre-history and is reinvented in every generation. These spellbinding accounts are magnificently complemented by Pamela Stagg's vibrant watercolours. Roses is a handsome gift for any gardener, and essential reading for anyone who loves roses.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Adult

324 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 2003

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another charming book by Wayne. It is excellent in what it accomplishes - armchair gardening that helps narrow one’s focus on what makes a plant beloved. As I only want to grow one or two roses I actually found this extremely helpful in narrowing the field. I can also attest to the charms of several of the top picks. They would be on my top ten list too:
R. Glauca
R. Mutabilis
R. Sombreuil
R. Mrs Oakley Fisher
R. Golden wings

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that next season I will be growing two of the roses lauded in this collection—"Variegata di Bologna" and "Alchymist"—is a testament both to my addiction to roses and to how much I enjoyed these essays.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always interesting to read which rose is a certain gardener's fave. I liked this book for that and for the paintings.