A Rose by Any Name: The Little-Known Lore and Deep-Rooted History of Rose Names - Hardcover

Scanniello, Stephen; Brenner, Douglas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1565125185 ISBN 13: 9781565125186

Publisher: Algonquin Books, 2009

Synopsis

Encompassing art, literature, science, technology, history, and everything in between, the stories behind rose varieties include enough curiosities, romance, tragedy, wit, mystery, scandal, and earthy delights to satisfy even those who would never dream of actually tending a plant. in addition to names, readers will learn that the perfume of 'Rosa Gallica' wafted through Pliny's Roman villa and lulled Marie Antoinette on the night before her wedding; that 'Eglantine' is threaded through Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream; that roses in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were mainly raised for medicinal purposes; and that the world of rose-naming rights is one of complicated and fiercely guarded copyrights and patents. With full-color art throughout, this eclectic little volume is a must-have for die-hard rosarians, and for the less rose-obsessed, it's simply a marvelous miscellany starring what is arguably the world's most popular flower.

About this title

About the Authors

Stephen Scanniello is best known as the gardener who transformed the Cranford Rose Garden of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden into one of the world's most acclaimed rose gardens. President of the Heritage Rose Foundation and a member of the American Rose Society, he is a judge for the international rose trials in Europe and the United States. Scanniello has written three books on roses, including A Year of Roses, recipient of the American Horticultural Society’s Annual Book Award. He lives and gardens in New Jersey.

Douglas Brenner writes about gardens, antiques, and architecture for publications such as the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, and Country Living. He is the coauthor, with artist Nancy Stahl, of Real Art: The Paint-by-Number Book and Kit (Workman 2004). Formerly the editor of Garden Design and Martha Stewart Living, Brenner divides his time between New York City and the New Jersey shore. He inherited his first rosebush, 'Climbing American Beauty,' from a previous owner of his house, who planted it there around 1910.

Reviews

Enjoying some “Gourmet Popcorn” and “Barbra Streisand” alongside one’s “Chrysler Imperial” does not necessarily involve eating snacks and singing show tunes while driving down the highway, as one might assume. These are just three of more than 15,000 species and cultivars of roses, designations that epitomize the floral world’s stylistic marriage of the mundane and the sublime, the offbeat and the refined. Such is the curious nature of rose nomenclature, an idiosyncratic horticultural feature that often contributes as much to the prized flower’s allure as do its legendary fragrance and luminous colors. Rose aficionados, acclaimed authors, and dedicated gardeners, Brenner and Scanniello deftly explore the intricate history and enduring mystery behind four dozen of the most famous, obscure, exotic, and unassuming names in rose cultivation, from “American Beauty” and “Dr. Huey” to “Xanadu” and “Just Joey.” No helpful gardening tips to be found; instead, the authors provide plenty of arcane facts and tantalizing revelation in an equally entertaining and educational foray into the competitive, complicated, and frequently comical world of rose naming. --Carol Haggas

Edition details

• Publisher: Algonquin Books
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1565125185
• ISBN 13: 9781565125186
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352