SHARING SECRETS: "The Rose We’ve Shared, In Secret Awhile..."
- k-england
- May 1
- 6 min read
Edited by Cathy Tylka, for Let’s Talk Plants! May 2025.
Quoted:
“A Rose for the Rose” poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay, as found on www.nevermorepoem.com
“'A rose is a rose is a rose,’ Said the poet with a smile. But, when you look in her eyes, you’ll see, The rose we’ve shared, in secret awhile.”
In Edna St. Vincent Millay’s work, roses are often symbolic of fleeting beauty and intense emotion. In this poem, the rose becomes a metaphor for the delicate but powerful nature of friendship. Millay speaks to the joy and complexity that roses—whether real or symbolic—bring into relationships, particularly in the context of friendship. This excerpt suggests that the beauty of friendship, like a rose, is multi-faceted and ever-evolving. Friendship, like a rose, must be cared for, yet it is fragile and must be appreciated in the moment.
The question for this month:
Do you like roses? If so, or if not, why? Do you have a favorite? Is it in your yard? Show me!
Julie Frank of 92029 replied…
...Do I like roses? Yes! I love most roses but especially fragrant ones. However, I only have two small bush roses and this lovely Lady Banks Rose (not sure if it's a true rose) [SD Hort answers her, "Yes, Julie, it is a true rose! Rosa banksiae"] in my own yard. I love Lady Banks because they don't need much water!
Tynan Wyatt says…
...Hi, initially I did my best not to be a cliche gardener and so tried to avoid liking roses. However, with time, and a few deep sniffs, I succumbed to their charm.
Some of my favorites are:
-Double Delight (the gateway drug for many rose enthusiasts I suspect)
-Barbara Streisand
-Rock-n-roll
-Zephrine Drouhin (thornless and resilient)-Huntington's 100th (problem free and floriferous)
-Fragrant Cloud (a little short lived unless cut early at just the right time)
-Mister Lincoln
-Bewitched (stunning bubblegum pink in a good year)
It'd be hard to imagine being a gardener and not having at least one rose. They may be non-native, not water-wise, and sometimes prickly, however, they have many undeniable desirable attributes in their foliage, flower form, color, and fragrance. Looking forward to hearing others' thoughts.
Charlotte Getz of 92024 shares…
...My favorite climbing rose is "Fourth of July", and it will be blooming soon. Many buds on it now. Another favorite rose is named "Julia Child", a shrub rose with golden yellow flowers. Buds but no blooms yet.
Ida Rigby of 9206 exclaims…
Yes, I love roses. Since I cannot choose a favorite “child” I decided to make a few categories of favorites.
For Fragrance-
Hands down the choice is the l885 Mme. Isaac Pereire; she is also the most “rose” of rose colors. She was bred in l880 and renamed in l881, after a Banker’s wife.
The fragrant damask, Rosa damascena bifera, dates back to Roman times. It’s a source of attar of rose.
In the category of Historic Roses-
Old Blush is a very humble being, but basic to bringing repeat blooming into European roses. It’s a China introduced into Europe in the 1750s and used in breeding in the mid l9th century Europe to produce our repeat blooming roses. My plants come from roses rustled in Texas’s abandoned homesteads and cemeteries in the l990s.
The Duchesse de Brabant was Teddy Roosevelt’s favorite boutonniere. Her pink, bell shaped, fully opened blossoms hang like bells on the now 30-year old bush, which being own roots, sends up long, sturdy new canes every year.
In the category of Most Spectacular-
Francis Lester, named after a rosarian. It’s some 30 years old, too, and creates a fountain a dozen feet across and 6 feet high.
In the category of Favorite Roses from Travels-
The damask rose noted above, which I saw in Turkey, along with the modern rose, Parade, which I saw in the Roserie de l’Haye in Paris and found mail order in 1994. I love her so much that in 2022, I made some cuttings and the young rose I kept is blooming well.
In the category of Favorite White are -
Cherokee Rose, introduced around 1780 into the American South; it became the state emblem of Georgia in l916 as a memorial to the Trail of Tears of the Cherokee Nation.
Another white, a rambler, makes a yearly cascade of white blossoms down one of our pomegranate trees.
Since I grow landscape rather than cutting roses, my last category is Most Reliable Bloomers-
Here are two in that category, the electric pink Morning Jewell, which lights up the whole garden. It has the cleanest leaves imaginable. Another is the red, Dublin Bay, which blooms prolifically and reliably every year.
Gerald D. Stewart of 92084 cajoles…
... Roses are okay. I don't like getting stuck. I have 'Graham Thomas' that was a gift from Austin Roses in 2000 when they started producing them in the United States. It is probably 10' high and across and serves as a "roof" over the entrance to the front yard. The other one I have is Rosa ichuriana 'Variegata', Variegated Memorial Rose, with leaves variegated white. I had, and lost to rats shortly after I received it, Rosa 'Verschuren', with variegated leaves. One of the tragedies of my life is that I can't find a source to replace it. The owner of Glasshouse Works in Ohio died last year, and the nursery, my source, was closed. It's frustrating to have lost a rare plant with no apparent opportunity to replace it. I am in the same situation with Brugmansia 'Peaches and Cream'. I keep reminding myself it's not critical to life, like breathing is, but the yearning for 'Verschuren' is chronic. Oh!! To be a bazillionaire (sic), have relatively infinite resources to be able to find replacements globally, and have a nursery facility approved for holding rare, imported plants until they are certified pest and disease free.
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Lisa Bellora sends regrets…
...Not really. I am not a fan of plants that I cannot easily touch!
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Gwendelyn Bradley agrees with the majority of us…
...Yes, I love roses. They are beautiful and colorful and smell good. My favorite rose is “Double Delight”. It is not in my yard as I really only have pots out there. My Mom used to have a big rose garden and she had them. So beautiful and smelled so good.
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Kay McGrath tells us…
... I have a rose ring of about a dozen roses. Haven't had pests and they are planted so I easily smell them. I only buy ones with great fragrance.
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Cathy Tylka of 92026 gives thanks for…
...My Cécile Brünner. I was told not to plant, as this one would take over my house. It has not, but then, I live in Escondido. It is so lovely and makes me happy just to look at it. Per Wikipedia, 'Cécile Brünner' has small double flowers, developing from high-centered buds to form pom-poms with a diameter of 2 to 6.5 cm (0.75 in to 2.5 in). Their pink color fades from the outside with age, resulting in pale pink edges with yellow undertones and a deeper pink center. The flowers appear abundantly in large clusters throughout the season, have a petal count over 50 and are moderately scented.
Karen England of 92084 eats her roses!
...Roses are one of her favorite herbs and this information is copied from her Instagram @edgehillherbfarm as proof.
... the 2020 story of Karen making @loriastern ‘s Cardamom Rose Buns recipe - part 1.
“Yesterday I used my organic homegrown, homemade rosewater to make Rose Buns! Think cinnamon rolls but with fresh rose petals for filling (and cardamom not cinnamon as the spice ...) OH. MY. GOODNESS. Did I ever smell good! Aromas of butter, yeast, roses, and cardamom filled the air and permeated my hands as I kneaded the dough and “massaged” the rose petals. My skin still smelled sweet this morning! My house smelled great; the kitchen smelled divine all during this whole process. I followed her recipe as exactly as I could, and it worked perfectly. I won’t change a thing when I make these buns again, and I will make these buns again. Thank you, Loria, for sharing your recipe! You are an edible flower baker extraordinaire!”
Part 2 “Cardamom Rose buns! Between making the rosewater and the buns I used about twelve cups of rose petals from my yard. I don’t weigh the harvests but I’m guessing at least a pound of roses...”
Question for next month…
Do you have a plant or flower in your garden, neighborhood, San Diego County, or the world that is your favorite wild flowering thing in bloom now?
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