Poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed.
Oh, wait! That's not the right story. But, I am going to tell you a story today. A story about a man named Francis Meilland. Francis came from a long line of rose breeders. His grandfather was Francis Dubreuil. Around 1935, Francis Meilland cross-pollinated some roses, which resulted in a new rose that was absolutely beautiful.
Of course, he named this rose after his mother, Mme Meilland. But, as you know, life sometimes gets in the way of plans. World War II's ugly face began to show itself, devouring country by country. Right before the German occupation of France, a piece of this rose was shipped off to the U.S., where it continued to be propagated.
And on the very same day that Berlin fell in April, 1945, this rose was introduced to the American public. We know this rose as 'Peace'.
This rose goes by different names in different countries. But it will forever be linked to war, and peace.
'Peace' is one of the best selling roses of all time. Every time I see a bloom from this rose, I fall in love all over again. When I was quite young, I took a tour of a rose garden. I can remember thinking that Peace was the most beautiful rose in the garden. And now I have it in my own garden. Thanks to a rose breeder, some unusual circumstances, and a strong desire to save his creation.
I love its beautiful blooms. But I also love its history. May you, too, have Peace in your garden.
Divine rose and amazing photos. I can almost smell them from here:~)
ReplyDeleteMy 'Peace' rose is my very favorite. It was the first rose I ever purchased. Thanks for sharing the back-story! Cheers, Jenni
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful rose! I love the first and third pictures.
ReplyDeleteFlowerLady
I was aware of the two names, but a nice story. I really laughed at your lead in to the post. Peace is a pretty rose and you did a nice job on photographing and historically talking about it.
ReplyDeleteJust love this beautiful rose. I have got to add it to the rose garden some place.Gorgeous pictures of the blooms.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous rose and story... WE do have 'peace' in our garden.. We have FIVE roses with the word 'peace' in their names... All are pretty!!!!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
I like a plant with a bit of history behind it. It is very beautiful rose and so aptly named.
ReplyDeleteA gorgeous rose with a beautiful story behind it :)
ReplyDeleteAnd peace to you too!
W naszych stronach 'Peace' to najpopularniejsza róża, rośnie w większości ogrodów. Ma w sobie to coś.. czego brakuje wielu różom. Jest piękna i cudownie zmienna. Wspaniałe zdjęcia, oczu nie można oderwać. Pozdrawiam serdecznie, Ania.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful rose, the photo with the raindrops is really nice. The first photo is superb too, what a beauty!
ReplyDeleteThat is a lovely one with such a nice story, too.
ReplyDeleteMy one rose bush has lost all its red blooms to the deer! They ate every one. I woke up Saturday morning to see them in my perennial garden. I think this is a new crew and don't know the rules around here. They even ate all the geranium blossoms from the deck and ate hostas under my study window. They were much too bold. So today I took measures - sprayed with the dreaded liquid fence.
Did the day lily make the trip okay?
Foxglove Lane - Thanks for your comment. I still love this rose, but I'm not certain it would still be my favorite. Although, every time I see a bloom, it stops me in my tracks. It really is a beauty.
ReplyDeleteJenni - And isn't it a beautiful rose to have in your garden? It's easy to see why so many people love this rose.
FlowerLady - Thank you. It really is gorgeous as it's first opening up. It can have buds on the plant, but when they start to bloom, I am always amazed how beautiful each bloom is, no matter how many times I've seen it.
GWGT - I love the history behind roses, and this one has a wonderful name. The story should be told more often.
Lona - You really should add this rose. It's stunning!
Betsy - I figured you had this rose for sure. I don't have any of the other peace-named roses. I wanted the old original.
Janet - I love to know the history behind the roses, too. It's fun to know and pass the story along.
Mark and Gaz - Glad you liked the story. And thanks for the 'peace offering'! ;)
Ania - You are right. Peace is one of the most popular roses, all over the world! I agree it has a 'certain something' that draws one to it. I am amazed every time I see it bloom just how beautiful this rose is.
Kelli - It looks like the petals will just unfurl forever, doesn't it?
Marcia - Oh, no! It must be hard to teach a new group of deer every year what's off limit! I hope your rose doesn't mind the 'pruning' it got, sorry you didn't get to enjoy the blooms. The day lilies looked great - they are all planted and waiting for spring!
Peace is a wonderful rose with a beautiful heartwarming story behind it. I have a Peace planted in my garden in memory of my mother.
ReplyDeletePeace is one of my all time favorite roses. I grew it in my garden in NC but not here. It's scent and ease of growth were so incredible and still I love it to this day. Thanks for the background on it. I had no idea about its history. Love the 'Beverly Hillbillies' lead in.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved the Peace rose and grew it at our other house. Thank you for sharing the history of that beautiful rose! The photos of your lovely roses makes me want to put it on my must have list!
ReplyDeleteredneckrosarian - How special your Peace rose must be to you! Thanks for sharing that.
ReplyDeletetina - I'm surprised you don't still grow it. Glad I could fill you in on its history, and the name.
dorothy - I hope you do put it on your list!
Love them! You inspire me to learn more about growing roses...my grandmother had rose gardens and now I know and appreciate what she created in those gardens. Bravo to you and keep on inspiring!
ReplyDeleteI was aware of the multiple names but not the reason why. Thanks for this wonderful history lesson! It's a beautiful rose and one of our favorites too!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful you have a piece of Peace in your garden :-) It's even more wonderful when plants grip our hearts and not just our eyes :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely Rose. I should get one myself. Enjoyed reading the history of it.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Carol - It is really stunning in real life. In my rose garden, it always makes me do a double take in order to take it its beauty.
ReplyDeleteMy Garden Diaries - What a sweet comment! I hope you do grow some roses. I bet your grandmother's garden was beautiful.
Cathy and Steve - Part of the reason I love roses is all the history behind the plant. Some have such very interesting stories!
Toni - What a great way to put it. Yes, it does grip my heart!
Cher - I hope you do get a rose soon. And I want to know which one you choose!
I enjoyed reading your post and learning the background of the roses! I love the Peace rose. beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHolley this was such a wonderful post. i love learning the history behind the plants. This one of my favs but I have never grown it. I think I may have to now!!
ReplyDeleteFascinating story! It made me look up more about the story online. I'm so glad he was able to save it from all the destruction by shipping a piece overseas. It's a beautiful rose!
ReplyDeletekacky - Thanks so much for commenting. I love that so many roses seem to have a story to tell.
ReplyDeleteDonna - I, too, think a little history behind a plant makes it so much more enjoyable to have in the garden. I hope you find a place for it in your garden.
Indie - I'm so glad you were interesting enough to research it a little more! That's fabulous. It is a truly interesting story, and I only touched on a small part.
Jennifer@threedogsinagarden
ReplyDeleteTerrific post and a wonderful story! It is so interesting to read about the history of this rose and how it came down to us through time.
That third shot is stunning..I had to go back at take a longer look...so pretty!
ReplyDeleteglimpsesofglory-karen.blogspot.com/
Jennifer - I keep thinking how worried he must have been to have gone to all the trouble of trying to make sure this rose found a safe haven. I'm glad it prospered.
ReplyDeleteKaren - And it is so much prettier in person! I find I can't quit taking pictures of this rose. It really does have something special about it.
This lovely rose has grown outside my kitchen door for thirty years. It is still one of the most dependable roses I have, and its name is even better than the flower.
ReplyDeletelinniew - Wow! I am very impressed. I bet it is full of beautiful blooms each year. Enjoy!
ReplyDelete