Legend and Lore continued (History of the Rose )

The rose, cultivated for well over 3,000 years and known from time immemorial as the queen of the flowers, is thought to have originated in Asia Minor. The genus name Rosa is derived from the Greek word rodon , meaning ‘red’. The ancient Persians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used the rose not only as a garden ornamental but also as the main ingredient in various perfumes and cosmetics. In Greece and Rome, the rose was the favourite flower of  the goddess of the flowers, the Greek chloris and her Roman counterpart Flora. In festivals for these goddesses, the people bedecked themselves and their animals  with flowers, using mostly roses. At Roman banquets roses were used lavishly for decoration and were even strewn on the floor. At the same banquets, the diners often wore rose garlands as a preventative against drunkenness.

In Greek myth, Chloris was said to have created the…