The rose plants all stand in line, precisely where they were planted a number of years ago, bearing the fruits of their labour in the form of vividly coloured heads of various shades. White, yellow, pink, peach and stunning scarlet red. Varying in size from compact, miniature roses – which seem almost too perfect to be real – to climbers that extend up along the walled part of the garden for some metres, each is as individual as it is colourful and delicately scented. This garden, this extremely large garden, is filled only with roses. But not just any roses. These roses are flowers that are constantly in service. For this garden is a garden where roses are grown so that they may be cut, then sold, then delivered, in order to bring their exquisite beauty, and love, into people’s lives.
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This week is the busiest day of the annual calendar for the rose garden, for St Valentine’s Day falls within it. Known as the most romantic day of the year, the beliefs surrounding its origin are several. It is thought that it originated from the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was held in the middle of February. Later, the Catholic Church turned the festival day into a Christian celebration in honour of St. Valentine, who was a priest and physician. During the persecution of the Christians in the late third and early fourth centuries, he tended to many persecuted Christians and is ultimately believed to have become a martyr on the celebratory day that now bears his name. His compassionate actions whilst in prison led to his becoming a symbol of romance and love. He even defied Emperor Claudius II’s ban on marriage. In Roman mythology, Cupid was the Roman reinterpretation of Eros, who is the Greek god of love. Thus Cupid began to be depicted by the Victorians on Valentine’s Day cards and is also now know as the matchmaker mascot of Valentine’s Day.
Where does the garden of roses come into all of this? Well, in Greek mythology, roses were sacred to the goddess of love, Aphrodite. In Roman mythology, the goddess of love, Venus, was associated with roses. And the colour red is associated with love. So, the red roses in the garden are almost potted and given to people so as to symbolise the sacred love between them. This tradition began during the Victorian era, some think, when flower were used as a method of sending secret messages called floriography. Sometimes, a plant with a single rose is given, to show love at first sight. Three roses on a plant symbolizes the past, present and future of a relationship. Ten roses is a sign that someone thinks the person they love is perfect. And based on the number of plants with roses containing just this number that the shop at the front of the garden sells for St. Valentine’s Day, there are a lot of people who see perfection in the one they love.
Today being St. Valentine’s Day itself, the shop is at its fullest, with pots of red roses in all of the windows and around the counter. They wait in anticipation, ready for those who have not planned ahead and only remember last minute that they wish to express their love to someone. But this is really where this story ends. For its beginnings are in the rose garden that covers the large area of land that extends into the distance behind the shop. And in the period leading up to this day, as the roses all grow and come to learn about the significance that they have in people’s lives. As they do their very best to live a life of service and to honour their ability to bring romance into other’s existence.
An extract from my next book The Feelings of Flowers
Claire X