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Roses are
exquisite works of art. She is not simple. She is delicate and
intricate, alluring, sexy and enchanting. And yet she can prick you
until you bleed. The rose seems to keep a deep, dark, sweet, and
divine secret that she won’t tell. The legend of the rose is
intriguing. She is the enchantment of a beautiful maiden and her
suitors, all turned into the exquisite flower. Legend has it, that
“during the Roman empire, there was an extraordinarily beautiful
maiden named Rhodanthe. Her beauty drew many zealous suitors who
pursued her relentlessly. Exhausted by their pursuit, Rhodanthe was
forced to take refuge from her suitors in the temple of her friend
Diana. Unfortunately, Diana became jealous. And when the suitors
broke down her temple gates to get near their beloved Rhodanthe, she
also became angry turning Rhodanthe into a rose and her suitors into
thorns.” That is the story of the Romans. Ask the Greeks, and Greek
mythology point to Aphrodite, she named the Rose. According to the
Greeks, the rose was created by Chloris, the Greek goddess of
flowers, from a lifeless body of a nymph. She asked the help of
Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who gave her beauty; Dionysus, the
god of wine, added nectar to give her a sweet scent, and the three
Graces gave her charm, brightness and joy. Then Zephyr, the West
Wind, blew away the clouds so that Apollo, the sun god, could shine
and make the flower bloom. And so the Rose was born and was
immediately crowned Queen of the Flowers.” I can almost say with
certainty, that roses are eternal. In fact, archaeologists
discovered the fossilized remains of wild roses over 40 million
years old. I also think roses, as with all other gifts of nature,
have mysterious, healing powers. In fact, Napoleon gave his
officers bags of rose petals to boil in white wine, to cure lead
poisoning from bullet wounds, Even today, rose water is still used
to refresh the hands before a feast or festive greeting, from the
Middle East to northern India.
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Oh, and don’t
forget , there is a special rose language that was invented as a
secret means of communication between secret lovers in the harems of
the Middle East. A red rose bud secretly conveys that you are
starting to fall in love (”budding love”), a fully open white rose
asks the question: “WIll you love me?” An open red rose means “I’m
delirious with love and desire for you.” And, an open yellow rose
asks “Don’t you love me any more?” So imagine how much love and
passion is invoked by a room filled with roses!
Our farm has been
growing roses for the last ten years. Our varieties include the
deepest reds, burgandys, scarlets, lilacs, pinks, peaches, magentas,
oranges, two tones, light greens, yellows, even celadon! And,
despite the availability of all other flower kinds, carnations,
lilies, daisies, snapdragons, etc.., men, are always drawn to the
queen of the flowers! Who can blame them? If you had to pick one
among the beautiful and sensual, why not pick the queen? And it is
really no wonder, there is no other flower, named by Aphrodite,
Goddess of Love, with graces bestowed by the God of Wine and
Merriment, a nymph and a beautiful maiden in a flower, and who
knows, the Great Goddess herself. Now, if only she wasn’t so
feisty. Be careful, this exquisite flower has a secret, and you’re
lucky if you don’t get pricked. |
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