Customer Reviews

Roses: A Celebration

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This book is a collection of 33 essays written by rosarians, writers, artists, nurserymen, etc. on their personal favorite rose. It is delightful reading and the book comes at a good time, when most gardeners are settling in for the winter months to dream about next year's gardening.

The majority of the writers here prefer the old roses although there are a few modern ones as well. Graham Stuart Thomas, the great rosarian who died in April 2003, writes about his favorite rose "Souevenir de St. Anne's," Peter Beales recalls "Great Maiden's Blush" which brings back his childhood memories and Christopher Lloyd writes about his love/hate relationship with roses in his garden at Great Dixter. Other writers included are:

Jamaica Kincaid (Alchymist)
Anne Raver (Roseraie de l'Hay)
Allen Lacy (Ginny)
Michael Pollan (Mmd. Hardy and Cuisse de Nymphe)
Lauren Springer (Mr. Lincoln and Harrison's Yellow)
David Austin (Eglantyne)
Thomas Fischer (Mrs. Oakley Fisher, Golden Wings, Darlow's Enigma)
Lloyd Brace (Astrid Lindgren)
Anthony Noel (Variegata di Bologna)
Peter Schneider (Corylus)
Rory Dusoir (Mutabilis)
David Wheeler (Graham Thomas)
Mirabel Osler (Rosa sancta)
Page Dickey (Rosa pimpinellifolia Double White)
Mac Griswold (Veilchenblau)
Thomas Cooper (Betty Prior)
Wayne Winterrowd (Comtesse du Cayla)
Julie Moir Messervy (Learning to like Roses)
Jane Garmey (New Dawn)
Rosie Atkins (Bengal Crimson)
Cynthia Woodyard (Kiftsgate)
Ken Druse (Rosa banksiae 'Lutea')
Thomas Christopher (Old Blush)
Joe Eck and Wayne Winterrowd (Rosa glauca at North Hill)
Tovah Martin (Logee's 'Rosette')
Michele Lamontagne (La Rose de la Paix)
Dan Hinkley (Rosa rugosa)
Fergus Garrett (The Turkish Rose)
Pamela Stagg (Konigin von Danemark)
Joe Eck (Rose Hips)

What attraction do roses have that other flowers lack? Editor Wayne Winterrowd posed this question to over thirty eminent fellow gardeners, gathering their insights and responses in Roses: A Celebration, an impressive and informative collection of essays which tell of special roses and the horticultural decisions which went into the special enjoyment of roses over other flowers. The perfect gift for that rose enthusiast who already has all the basic gardening guides.

As a new rosarian, I have been seeking books about roses and rose gardening. This book is a series of essays accompanied by beautifully detailed colored illustrations that I am tempted to clip out and frame for my walls. The book arrived in perfect condition. The essays are thoughtful, poignant, intelligent and witty. Highly recommended.

"Why is this rose that enslaves gardeners? . . . Why, in short, does everyone love a rose, and what has it to offer that other flowers lack?" ~ Graham Stuart Thomas ~

Author Wayne Winterrowd asked thirty-two of his fellow rose aficionados and renowned contemporary garden writers the above question and came up with this wonderful book, "Roses, A Celebration" a collection of personal essays from the contributors. Winterrowd started gardening at the early age of four. He now devotes his time to gardening and writing about gardens after a long-time teaching career in English literature.

For the stunning artwork, Winterrowd collaborated with a fine artist and botanical painter, Pamela Stagg, who won the 1991 Royal Horticultural Society Gold Medal, the world's top prize for botanical painting. Stagg did an arty job in painting thirty-two varieties of roses in eye-catching and vibrant watercolors that readers would find utterly beautiful at first sight. Some of the varieties of roses to behold include "Mr. Lincoln," "The Fairy," "Variegata di Bologna," "Graham Thomas," "Bonica," "New Dawn," "Peace," "Old Blush," "Rosette" and "Richardii."

"A rose is a rose is a rose" ~ Gertrude Stein ~

Each essay is interestingly presented with a fascinating historical information and a personal account from each contributor as they celebrate their love, passion and admiration for a rose, a flower which Winterrowd described as one that has been "treasured since prehistory and that is reinvented in every generation."

"Oh, no man knows
Through what wild centuries
Roves back the rose" ~ Walter De La Mare ~

I highly recommend this book to all passionate rosarians for all its informational contents and not to mention the charming works of art. It is a gorgeous addition to your bookshelves and also a perfect gift to someone who loves roses, who will forever be grateful to the giver.

"Roses are steeped in nostalgia and sentiment." ~ Christopher Lloyd ~