A4 Colourful Fact Sheet on English Rose
2 x A4, Print as two double sided sheets
Roses are special flowers all over the world, celebrated for their beauty, and symbolism across cultures and history. Their story spans millions of years, connecting the natural world with history, art, human innovation, and economics.
Read more about the history and its links to Timaru...
Roses are special flowers all over the world, celebrated for their beauty, and symbolism across cultures and history. Their story spans millions of years, connecting the natural world with history, art, human innovation, and economics.
There are fossils of plants related to roses dating back 35 million years. You can see the wild evolution of roses and the genetic building blocks for our modern-day roses at the Species Rose Garden in Timaru.
3000 BCE: Some of the first known domesticated roses were grown for rosewater, medicine, and even confetti.
500 BCE, Confucius noted roses in the Imperial Palace, revealing China as the original source of yellow roses with no European wild counterparts.
500-1500 In medieval times (500-1500), roses suspended from council chamber ceilings signaled secretive matters, the origin of the ceiling rose.
1096 and 1291: The Crusades brought roses to Europe from the Middle East.
1100s: Medieval monks grew roses for medicine, spiritual purposes, and as symbols of purity, using rose petals for remedies and rosehips for vitamin C.
1640-1680s: The Dutch East India Company (VOC) rose imports sparked competitive Dutch breeding, creating diverse new rose varieties for trade.
1799: Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife, Josephine had botanists, explorers, and diplomats collect and send rare rose varieties to her garden at Malmaison.
1837-1901: Victorian times, rose breeding and collecting grew in popularity across Europe. Roses were symbols of the age’s taste and elegance, with many collections appearing in the gardens of the British aristocracy.
1901-1910: Edwardian rose gardens were status symbols in upper-class.
1960s: David Austin introduced a new class of roses combining the old-fashioned fragrance and look of antique roses with the repeat flowering ability of modern roses, revolutionising rose breeding and roses popularity.
1960s: Trevor Griffiths was a local rose breeder, author, and international expert. Over his 50-Year career he collected and bred an internationally important rose collection. 1,200 Roses bushes were budded and grafted for a rose garden at Caroline Bay, championed by volunteers and gifted to the people of South Canterbury to be cared for by the Timaru District Council.
Can you find the Tudor Rose in Timaru?
The Gothic Revival St. Mary’s Anglican Church, (22A Church St, Timaru) was designed by architect William Armson. The foundation stone was laid in 1880, and consecrated in 1886. It features roses and elements of Catholic tradition to represent the Virgin Mary, reflecting purity, beauty, and devotion.
The Tudor Rose was carved into the church’s woodwork, by Welshman Frederick Gurnsey over 1925–47. His signature, the Tudor rose, alluded to his wife's name Rose.
Also look for the Rose Window, with Christ seated on a rainbow. It was unveiled in 1900 in memory of Edward Elworthy 1836–1899 of Holme Station, Pareora, one of NZ's first and largest pioneer merino and grain farms contributing to the economic and social development of NZ. The peony roses at the Trevor Griffiths rose garden were donated by his decedents.
Can you spy Rose’s on headstones
Can read a silent language carved in stone, offering insight into the lives, values, and beliefs of past generations?
Rose Bud: A child's grave, a life that never had the chance to bloom.
Full Bloom: A life lived to the fullest.
Severed Stem: A life was tragically "cut short.”
Two Joined Roses: A strong bond, often found on couples' graves.
Wreath of Roses: Beauty and virtue.
Garland of Roses Held by an Angel: Sorrow and grief.
Angel with Open Wings: A soul's ascent to heaven.
Weeping Angel: Grief and mourning, especially for sudden losses.
Trumpet-Blowing Angel: The Day of Judgment.
Anchor: Steadfastness and hope, used by early Christians as a hidden cross (anchored in Christ).
Books and Scrolls: Faith, knowledge, learning, and wisdom.
Thistle: The national flower of Scotland.
Shamrock (Clover): A symbol of Northern Ireland.
Daffodil: The national flower of Wales.
Tudor Rose: The national flower of England.
HOW MANY ROSE GARDENS CAN YOU VISIT?
Most roses flower from November to July.
CAROLINE BAY (BELOW THE PIAZZA), TIMARU
Trevor Griffiths Rose Garden Est 2001
World Federation of Rose Societies, Garden of Excellence.
TIMARU BOTANIC GARDENS Est 1864
35 Queen St Parkside, Timaru
New Zealand Gardens Trust, Garden of National Significance
Species Rose Garden Est 1989
NZ's largest collection of species roses includes 57 of the
100-150 known species, grown from donated seeds.
Anderson Rose Garden Est 2002
Formal rose garden with fountain in memory of a
curator of Reserves for Timaru City Council.
Geraldine and Temuka Domains have rose gardens and many of the Districts towns have flower carpet roses in urban areas.
LEARN MORE: Books Authored by Trevor Griffiths (1928-2010), one of the most renowned rosarians in the world. The Book of Old Roses, The Book of Classic Old Roses, Old-Fashioned Roses: 150 Favourites, Glorious Old Roses,
Memory of Old Roses: Notes from the Life of New Zealand's Great Rosarian, The Best of Modern Roses.