Discover the amazing history and healing properties of rose oil and how to grow your own fragrant rose.
Powers of rose oil
A small bottle of rose oil is among the contents of a surgeon’s bag, a relic of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Does this mean rose oil was featured in one of the deadliest battles in history?
Rosehip oil is known for its stress-relieving properties, but I doubt it will ease the trauma of war. Rosehip oil was also used to help with menstrual cramps, which is not important on the battlefield. It has anti-aging effects when used as a lotion on the skin, but that was probably not what anyone had in mind.
Rose oil and rose extracts have been studied for antibacterial properties. Surgeons at that time cared about cleanliness, less sterile instruments, but someone may have noticed that instruments soaked in rose oil caused fewer infections.
The probable reason that the small bottle was in the surgeon’s bag is probably more obvious: its perfume. Rosehip oil, sprinkled a little under the nose of the surgeon, helped him to make the incisions longer. The smell of roses can be magical.
Roses and rose oil are found in old plants for many reasons, including beauty. When you smell like roses, you feel beautiful. True beauty, as I discovered at the wedding of one pair of identical twins, is as much about the “glow” as the actual features. The bride was one of the most beautiful women I know. Her identical sister was beautiful, but never noticed in public. Anyway, my friend found out that she is beautiful. He also surrounded himself with love. That wedding was in the rose garden, the colors and smells around us. As they say in tradition: “Put a rose in her hair and smile on her face, every woman is beautiful.”
Rosehip oil can also induce restful sleep. I keep an open jar of rose oil on the shelf by my bed. But the easiest way to get the scent of roses is to grow them, preferably under your windowsill or on your patio, so that the perfume sinks in.
Most gardeners feel the same way I do, which is why almost all roses for sale these days are fragrant. A month ago I was given a bunch of rose of Judas, which I betray to those who pick its flowers, by suddenly dropping its leaves. I’m not sure I want a rose named “Judas” living with us, but that bunch of parchment-colored flowers had one of the strongest, sweetest scents I’ve ever had, and the flowers lasted two weeks in a vase. Not a single petal falls until the entire flower fades.
Papa Meilland, Mr Lincoln, Buff Beauty, Prosperity, Souvenir de la Malmeison… every rose lover has their favorite rose color and each type of fragrant rose has its own individual scent.
Explore your friends’ neighborhoods and gardens until you find roses you love, and then politely ask for some cuttings when they prune their roses in late winter or early spring. A box of muffins is a great way to secure a “yes” as well as remember your request.
Cultivation of roses
Plant each rose branch 30cm long about 20cm deep in moist sand, then place the pot in partial shade – never in full sunlight. I lost this year except for one slice of mine that I put in a bad pot when the temperature reached 35 degrees. They were leafing out wonderfully and I kept the soil moist, but the tiny roots couldn’t hold the leaves in the intense sunlight.
Most rose cuttings grow leaves. Half of those with leaves will wilt, but you should have enough happy young rose bushes to plant through next winter. Use a proprietary hormone powder to increase success – or simply plant more cuttings.
Roses love four things: sunlight, water, tucker and picking. Pruning your roses frequently, or cutting back the dead ones before they form a stem, means that the bush’s energy is going into flower production rather than fattening seed heads.
I love patio roses and underground roses for their hardiness – they can be planted even in the bright heat of traffic jams. They also do not need to be cut. Your long-lived classic “rose” needs pruning because their flowers grow on new wood. Be brave and cut each bush by another third every winter, then prune in summer – take about three times the required stem each time you pick.
The more roses you pick, the more you need to feed the rose bush. Plant food slowly every spring works well. Weekly and slow feeding is best as long as you water in the fertilizer. If your roses do not last more than a week in the vase, this is a sign that your plants need more care.
Sunlight is essential for the best growth of roses, so dry inland cities often have flowering rose bushes. As long as gardeners remember to water, their roses are bright and plentiful.
You don’t need to have a lack of roses, even if you only have a home unit without a balcony or garden. Hang hanging baskets of “field sabbag” or any variety labeled “shade tolerant” to diffuse the perfume. You won’t have as many flowers as a sunny garden, but it will be enough to refresh the soul.
