Now that ancient roses are back in great fashion, it’s easy to forget they were disappearing. When industrial hybridization exploded early in the twentieth century, hordes of resplendent roses and glittering colors literally invaded the market. No one wanted the old roses any more, the nurserymen did not even put them in the catalog and soon ceased to cultivate them. A heritage of centuries was lost in a few years. And if some varieties are miraculously survived, it is to be fought by lovers of devotions.
Andrea di Robilant, Sulle Tracce di una rosa perduta.
Old Roses
The rose, praised since antiquity, belongs to the Rosaceae family includes about 3,000 species of plants. Some are real shrubs, but are commonly shriveling and scarcely lignified in young branches. They love exposure to the sun and rich and damp soils. Blooms are in the spring and in some cases several times during the year. Approximately 160 species of “Rose” (Rose origin) species have been classified, which have evolved into the basis of thousands of natural mutations and man-controlled mutations (hybrids). They are now cultivated on all continents. 70% of them originate from Asia and mainly from China and the Himalayas. 30% comes from the Middle East, Europe, North Africa and America.
On-line catalog
