Sentimental Peace Rose

by Judy Palkimas

Title

Sentimental Peace Rose

Artist

Judy Palkimas

Medium

Photograph - Photography - Photographs

Description

The story of the �Peace� rose is one that can be told over and over again because it encapsulates everything that we hold dear in roses � drama, love and greatness of spirit. This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the naming of this enduring rose that remains an excellent garden rose, and a symbol of our desire for that ever-elusive peace. The creation of �Peace� was beautifully chronicled in Antonia Ridge�s book �For Love of a Rose� and it was something of a miracle that the rose ever saw the light of day.What is so touching about the story of �Peace� is that back in France, the rose had been named �Madame Antoine Meilland� in memory of Claudia Dubreuil, the wife of Antoine Meilland and mother of Francis. She had been the heart and mainstay of the Meilland family and died tragically young from cancer. At the same time news coming back from Germany and Italy where other budwood had been sent, revealed that in Italy the rose was called �Gioia� (Joy) and in Germany, �Gloria Dei� (Glory of God). For the family, all the names captured the qualities that they loved in Claudia.The name �Peace� seems to have outlasted all the others. The timing of its launch was perfect and it struck such a chord that within nine years some 30 million �Peace� rose bushes were flowering around the world. But it wasn�t because of sentiment alone. �Peace� truly was a superlative rose, superior by far to the roses before it in terms of vigour, hardiness, and the long lasting ability of its blooms. The colour was also magnificent, a pale, golden yellow deepening to red along the petal edges.�Peace� also breathed new life into the gardening world, which sorely needed reviving after the war. The huge amount of publicity it received internationally made people excited about growing roses again. I was told that in South Africa it was in every public park and the �must have� variety for every garden. Because it grew so well and so easily, people were not afraid to try their hand at other roses and so the rose industry in this country took off, once again.

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May 30th, 2013

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