OK--don't be put off by the rose! It is a Mr. Lincoln rose, and one of the loveliest, most dependable roses in my garden. It is time just now to cut the roses back, prune them into shape for the spring. This is a dangerous time for those of us who grow roses. I have already gone through half a tube of Neosporin, and I wear rose gauntlets!
I was pruning away, and got to thinking about the connection between roses and the Civil War. Or, I should say, wondering if there even WAS any connection.
About all I could come up with was my Mr. Lincoln rose, and Rose Greenhowe, the Washington, D. C.-based Confederate spy of the early war. That isn't much, I admit.
My real computer is in the shop, to be picked up this afternoon, so last night all I had was the laptop. Still, I dug around in the Internet for more on this topic. There isn't much. There is a Scarlett O'Hara rose, called Frankly Scarlet, I think. It isn't grown much any more.
I was stunned to find there were no roses named for Robert E. Lee or any other Confederate Generals. Yankee that I am, I still think Lee deserves a rose! And none are named for battles, either. No Gettysburg rose, no Shiloh rose.
This is the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, FGS! We should honor it with a rose!
Hi Meg!
ReplyDeleteRead back from Paul to Rose. I was captivated by your Recounting the Civil War Dead series... I watched the video you mentioned and in context of your blog am deeply moved by your words. And yes, there should be a Civil War Rose, a most magnificent one! Can they make one that is mostly blue with shades of grey and a deep red center? Probably not.
I am going to try to do something about this situation. I order many of my roses from Jackson & Perkins (I don't think that is Stonewall Jackson, more is the pity!) and I am hatching a plan as I write. It involves us all!!! We shall get that rose!
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