At the October 2013 meeting
of the Charleston Lowcountry Rose Society, I won a unique rose, The Green Rose. It is an oddity and a
conversation piece and people either like it or hate it. It is Viridiflora ‘Rosa Monstrosa’ otherwise
known as Green Rose. Records say Green Rose has been in cultivation as
early as 1743 and is a sport from Rosa
Indica (The China Rose of England and the Daily Rose of America).
The Green Rose is a
small plant that grows to 3’ tall and has few thorns. It can be grown in a pot,
and is rarely out of “blooms”. The buds are small, oval, of soft bluish green
color and the “blooms” are usually formed in clusters continually throughout
the season and look wonderful. The petals of the bloom reverted back to leaves
(petals are modified leaves) and it does not have reproductive organs. As you
would expect from an Old Garden Rose, this one is fragrant too. It has a spicy
fragrance. But unless you know what you’re looking for, it is hard to find the
bud since the bush is totally green.
For all the Irish in all of us, we can say we have
a green rose, not St. Patrick which
only has a tint of green, but a real green rose. So take pride, we have our own
green to celebrate. Plant it and you might like it. It is a wonderful rose to
use as a filler material in arrangements or as a landscape rose. But I’m sure
some visitors to your garden will undoubtedly say “That’s not a rose! You got to be kidding!!” or worst yet, “That
is the ugliest flower I’ve ever seen. Why do you give it space?”
“May the sun shine warm
upon your face
And
May the rains fall
softly upon your rose beds.”
Happy St. Patrick’s
Day!!!
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