The Memorial Garden in Leeman Road, York, has a plot with a very attractive display of these roses, so I just had to stop for a few photos on my walk yesterday between the railway museum and the city centre.
The Peace rose, formally Rosa 'Madame A. Meilland', is a well-known and successful garden rose. By 1992, over one hundred million plants of this hybrid tea had been sold. The cultivar has large flowers of a light yellow to cream color, slightly flushed at the petal edges with crimson-pink. It is hardy and vigorous and relatively resistant to disease, making it popular in gardens as well as in the floral trade.
It was developed by French horticulturist Francis Meilland, in the years 1935 to 1939. When Meilland foresaw the German invasion of France, he sent cuttings to friends in Italy, Turkey, Germany, and the United States to protect the new rose. It is said that it was sent to the US on the last plane available before the German invasion, where it was safely propagated by the Conard Pyle Co. during the war.
The rose eventually became known as Peace. In early 1945 rose grower Meilland wrote to Field Marshal Alan Brooke (later Viscount Alanbrooke) to thank him for his key part in the liberation of France and to ask if Brooke would give his name to the rose. Brooke declined saying that, though he was honored to be asked, his name would soon be forgotten and a much better and more enduring name would be 'Peace'.
The adoption of the trade name 'Peace' was publicly announced in the United States on 29 April 1945 by the introducers, Conard Pyle Co. This was the very day that Berlin fell, a day considered a turning point in the Second World War in Europe. Later that year Peace roses were given to each of the delegations at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations in San Francisco, each with a note that read: 'We hope the 'Peace' rose will influence men’s thoughts for everlasting world peace'.
It is therefore a very appropriate rose to have in a memorial garden.
Beautiful image The peace rose was one of the favourite roses bought in the 60/70s when I worked at my dads Garden Centre. It has such an interesting back story.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
These are wonderful roses with beautiful large blooms. My mum and dad had a rose garden, and pride of place was a peace rose just outside their window. Later they added a Pink Peace rose to their collection, but it wasn't as attractive as the original Peace.
( They past the north side of our country. To dry here.)
fav
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
These are wonderful roses with beautiful large blooms. My mum and dad had a rose garden, and pride of place was a peace rose just outside their window. Later they added a Pink Peace rose to their collection, but it wasn't as attractive as the original Peace.
Ian
Thank you Paul. This is a lovely rose variety, though sadly roses are no longer fashionable garden plants.
Ian