The Black Rose - A Magical, Mythical Beauty

The mythical allure of black flowers has fascinated our attention for centuries. Black tulips and black roses appear to originate from a make believe fairytale world. A pure black flower is the Holy Grail of plant breeders worldwide. Their unnatural color inspires a powerful feeling of mystical expectation. If you were to receive a black rose bouquet, it could mean a variety of things. Possibly you had become a widower recently and you received the flowers as a token of bereavement, or perhaps it was a tell tale sign that you had offended someone and the dark bouquet was sent as a sign of revenge of retaliation.

In the time of the Edwardians at the cutting edge of fashion in the 19th century used to collect them, going to exceptional extent to track down these exotic species of flowers. Will this mysterious flower once more, at the dawn of a new century and a new millennium, become a source of artistic and philosophical inspiration? The black rose bouquet is also the beloved flower of Art Nouveau designers at the previous turn of the century.

The reality of the black rose is that it does not really, naturally exist. The so-called black tulip is actually very dark purple and the black rose is, in fact, very dark red. These flowers are quite popularly used in "Gothic type" environments or as a black rose bouquet in a wedding where the color palette is of a darker form. There are other less common cut flowers which occasionally occur in "black" forms - they all ooze decadence, mystery, fascination.

With their very unusual velvety soft petals, looking at a black rose bouquet will make you think of the comfy soft cushions of a luxurious and exquisitely decorated winter room. The scent of this mysterious black rose makes you float away to your favorite imaginary exotic place that is filled with the lovely aroma of these gorgeous black beauties. You can imagine, laying on a bed of black rose petals being fed by a gorgeous harem of worshippers fanning you with a big feather plume.

Creating a black rose bouquet is not simple, nor is it impossible either. To keep up with the dark, mystical feeling of the black, one of the greatest groupings is black roses mixed with ivy berries. They are available at the florists throughout the winter. The red-black color of the rose, with the blue-green black of the very creates a perfect harmony. Ask your florist of the darkest roses they have. See if they have "Black Magic", "Barkarole", "Black Beauty" or "Baccara" black roses. A completely black bouquet is very dark but impressive. It does, however, set off an air of somberness. Adding in glowers or greens with a red or brown tint can enrich the black color and give the bouquet a little more pizzazz and depth. You can also add some hypernicum or chili pods to give the bouquet a firey red tone. If it is around the holidays try putting a little sparkle into your bouquet by adding silver spray painted leaves. It will really jazz up your dark black rose arrangement. For More Rose Information

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Growing Roses From Seed

Congratulations! This is an admirable way of growing roses. Although being able to grow roses from seed can be tricky and requires more patience than most areas of gardening, you can't beat the feeling of seeing something mature successfully from a tiny seed.

The Seed

There are packet varieties and seeds from rosehips, the fruit of the rose plant. If you're going to go down the growing from seed route why not go as natural as possible and use rosehips from a friend's rose or a wild one as you're walking along somewhere, you may be surprised at how many you find. Look for them after blooms have fallen and pick the, 'rosehips', when they look their ripest. Once they start to wrinkle they're beginning to dry out and not at their best. Please be careful as these rosehips itch, treat them like chillies.

Preparation

There are different methods but I've had the most success by using a combination of methods and that's what I'll share with you. Split the rosehips to expose the, 'seeds', they're creamy white and not actually the seed, they're inside but for what we need we will treat them as seeds. Clean these seeds thoroughly removing all the flesh.

Now place them about an inch apart on a damp towel, leaving plenty of towel around the edge of the seeds to be able to fold over without disturbing them. Place this folded damp towel in a sealable plastic bag and place in your fridge. This is the stratification process and is used the trick the seed in sprouting, leave for five or six weeks and check for any root tips that might be emerging. Leave for longer if they're not and check weekly for any changes.

Transfer

Once you have some that have sprouting roots transfer them to a pot or container. This can be real tricky so tweezers may help, damp the towel if you're struggling and that will free them off nicely. The seeds need good drainage, moisture and warmth so black plastic containers are best. Transfer these little sprouting seeds to the soil in your container making sure to leave a space of an inch all around them and about a quarter of an inch deep. Make sure that whatever potting soil you're using that it's sterile before you expose the seeds to it. Water well making sure they drain adequately also. When the seedlings are a few inches high you can transfer them to their own individual pot, they can take a few years to reach maturity by then becoming a big bush but they will flower before then.

I'm Mary Longbridge and I've been caring for all kinds of roses for longer than my vanity will allow me to admit. To learn more very effective information all about Rose Information and more; visit  http://www.aroseinfo.com . I am a contributing writer and on the website I will be happy to share my knowledge with you.

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The Rich History of Wild Roses

Wild roses, of the genus Rosa, are those naturally occurring natives found in Northern Hemispheres around the globe. Wild Roses can be found in forests, canyons, logged wastelands and thickets. They have continued to grow throughout the course of history and across a range of different terrains. Most modern day roses we know are mixed offspring of these wild roses.

Wild roses have had a rich history. They played roles in Greek and Roman culture, symbolizing themes such as love and allegiance. Later they became sought after for cosmetic, medicinal and religious purposes as well. However, with the beginnings of large-scale worldwide trade, rose horticulture and hybridization took root. This forever changed the wild rose landscape from a relatively small number of wild roses across the planet's surface to today's world with thousands-upon-thousands of rose varieties.

There are plenty of advantages to cultivating wild roses in modern-day rose gardens. Wild roses are strong, disease resistant plants, which can be grown in almost any less-than-ideal location. They are not dependent on regular fertilization and can tolerate some drought. Requiring essentially no care, wild roses are able to spread on their own, can handle being crowded and withstand transplanting at almost any time of year.

Some popular varieties of wild roses include:

Rosa Nutkana

An arching shrub with pink petals, the rosa nutkana grows in milder climates. Though it is fairly weather-tolerant, this shrub is best cultivated in sunny and well-drained locations. Prune often as thickets grow quite quickly.

Rosa Rugosa

This species, native to China, Korea and Japan, has been made into a number of different rose cultivars. It is a fast growing pink flower with rose-hips resembling small tomatoes. It prefers full sunlight and well-drained acidic soil. Since it is a salt-tolerant plant, it is an ideal shrub in coastal conditions. Light infrequent pruning will help keep growth of the Rosa rugosa under control.

Rosa Foliolosa

This is a member of the rosaceae family and is also know as leafy rose or prairie rose. The rosa foliolosa is a lovely little rose found mainly in Central and North Central Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. It is small in size with very thin wood, very elegant little foliage, with usually nine tiny leaflets per leaf. One of its great characteristics is its fern-like bright green foliage.

Rosa Blanda

Another member of the rosaceae family, the rosa blanda, also known as meadow rose is a shrub-like thornless plant which grows to about three to four feet tall and prefers rich soil in full sun to light shade. It produces lovely pink flowers between June and August and the fruit resembles small apples.

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