Photo courtesy of Callimarcio
Although cultivated since Antiquity for its fragrance, its medicinal virtues or its beauty, the Queen of flowers only truly began to arouse passions under the Empire. French mostly, Rosomania contributed to the emergence of large well-known horticultural centers such as Anjou, Brie, Orléanais or Lyonnais. Who would have guessed that the Rose was also from Sarthe? That the oldest French variety whose date is precisely known was from Le Mans? That the longest advertisement ever devoted to a rose appeared in the local press? During the first half of the 19th century, amateur-gardeners and a few professionals were able to give the Rose its prestige and promote it beyond borders. Tracing the history of these enthusiasts, sketching an inventory of their production, trying to find nowadays (who knows?) some of their achievements, such is the challenge of the present study. This research was also an opportunity to pay tribute to a contemporary, Jean-Pierre Vibert from Le Mans, breeder of more than 300 roses, most of them created from old varieties. Proof that after two centuries, the flame of Rosomania has still not gone out...
"Rosomanes et Rose au Mans de la Renaissance à nos jours". Published by the Société d'Agriculture Sciences et Arts de la Sarthe as their Year-Book.
