My 3 years old Gallica Officinalis has just started blooming, and the roses are light pink this time around ??? Has anyone ever experienced that, and what could have caused it? I couldn’t detect any smell in the flowers, and they look just like the Lyda rose flowers...
If I hadn’t seen it bloom the pst two years, I would have assumed that this rose had been mislabeled, but it clearly showed all signs of being a Gallica Officinalis.... until now...
I was wondering about the history behind the Apothecary's Rose and how it got it's name. I am assuming that it was used medicinally in the middle ages. Does anyone have any information ?
That is very well documented in numerous rose books. At the risk of being not completely accurate however I'll rip off a quick reply. Barbara Wilde in her book "Growing Roses Organically" says early pharmacists valued it because its petals held their fragrance well when dried. "Taylor Guide to Roses" by Nancy J Ondra says that it has been cultivated since prior to 1600 for use in medicines and perfumes. "Impressionist Rose" by Derek Fell says that the roses cultivation goes back to the 17th century when it was grown by apothecary's as a source of a fragrant oil. And Finally Botanica's Roses says its the oldest rose cultivated in Europe and has been used for medicinal purpose since that time.
The oil has had long folk-use for tension headache, and I do find that this works; the scent of roses is a well-tested relaxant. All parts of any rose plant, but particularly the old species like this, are high in bioflavonoids, which makes them useful to women in menopause and to people with diabetic retinopathy. And the hips are good sources of vitamin C.
Try a heaping Tbsp. of petals or one or two whole fresh blooms from an old rose like this, added to a 4- to 6-cup pot of good tea after it's steeped for a minute or so (the fragrance and flavor of the roses are best if they don't get doused with water that's still boiling, though it's pretty decent even if they do.) Covering the pot after the roses go in will help keep the volatile oils in the tea.
Or steep dried petals or whole blossoms in honey for a month or two, or add a single drop of real (not synthetic!) rose oil to a large jar of honey. It's fabulous, though the oil version probably won't have the bioflavonoid content the blossom version does.
BTW, you can buy petals of _Rosa gallica officinalis_ at most any health or wholefood store that sells bulk herbs, usually just as red rose buds or petals. (The pink ones are often _Rosa centifolia_.)
All Rosa gallica spread through suckering. Its the nature of the plant. Generally we prune it to a mounding shape by light tip pruning that promotes dense branching. If you over prune you will get more suckering.
I myself am experimenting with pruning old garden roses. From the books I learn to prune them after blooming, since they bloom on old wood. Next year I will prune them in early spring, because I need to confine them to their alotted space. I will see what this does for the number of flowers. Many Gallica's sucker. It's best to tear these out. I have officinalis only two years now, too short to to say anything about its suckering. (open garden, full sun, heavy soil, Holland)
