Red roses, until last year, were not part of the garden except for the Kardinal Rose, and it is a mystery why I have never planted more before. Now, the garden boasts a range of red roses, including a mass-planted display of “As Good As It Gets” and several climbing varieties, “Dublin Bay” and “Fourth of July.” Also, there are red shrub roses: Baronne de Rothschild, Ingrid Bergman, Kardinal, Munstead Wood, Dark Desire and Homage to Barbara Roses.

“She said that she would dance with me if I brought her red roses but in all my garden there is no red rose.“

Oscar Wilde

A garden of roses never seems complete without that touch of red, and as time goes by, red roses will become far more than just a touch. The red hues now in the garden range from fire engine bright red to Scarlet, Merlot, Carmine, Vermillion, Ruby, and Cherry, through to more Crimson, Magenta, Fuschia, Coral, and Cerise.

The garden also has deeper pinks, like the Best Friend, Peter Frankenfeld, and Chartreuse de Parme roses, plus the purple roses, Twilight Zone, Ebb Tide, Blackberry Nip, and Forget Me Knot. It is the rich ruby, claret or dark red tones of what we traditionally think of as a long-stemmed romantic red rose that I’m looking forward to growing.

“A red, red rose, all wet with dew, With leaves of green by red shot through.“

E Nesbit

My favourite red-hued rose is the Dark Desire Rose – KORdiagraf, which was bred by Tim Hermann Kordes in Germany in 2003 as part of the Parfuma Collection. Dark Desire is a beautiful, sensuous rose that opens from almost black buds to a violet-red, aging to a deep, darker red hue. It’s not typical red, but it’s a stunning, garnet velvety colour.

“I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom for me and you. And I think to myself what a wonderful world.“

Louis Armstrong

Dark Desire has a sophisticated fragrance, glossy dark green leaves and is highly disease-resistant. It will grow to about 120 cm and has a neat, upright growth style. Dark Desire is newish and so far has had 3-4 roses at once in bloom, and enough to see that over time, they are going to be spectacular roses on long stems perfect for picking.

“A red rose is not selfish because it wants to be a red rose. It would be horribly selfish if it wanted all the other flowers in the garden to be both red and roses.“

Oscar Wilde

There are many traditions, myths and legends surrounding the Red Rose from different cultures and times in history. One aspect that has stood the test of time is that a red rose is a sign of love. Not only is the colour symbolic, but the shade of red is significant. Brilliant red roses symbolise romance, deeper red roses symbolise undying love, and a budded rose is a sign of love’s beginning.

“The rose speaks of love silently in a language known only to the heart“

Unknown

“A rose is an argument. It proclaims the triumph of beauty over brutality, of gentleness over violence, of the ephemeral over the lasting, and of the universal over the particular.”

Alain Meilland

In Hindu mythology, the rose has significance in the creation of humankind. The Hindu Gods Vishnu and Brahma were disputing which flower was the most beautiful; Vishnu favoured the rose because of its perfect shape and fragrance, but Brahma, who had never seen a rose, chose the Lotus. To persuade Brahma of the rose’s superiority, Vishnu presented a rose to him and instantly succeeded in his aim.  

Brahma was enchanted by this discovery and conjured up a bush of 108 large and 1,008 small roses. Later on, Vishnu created the form of his bride, the Goddess Lakshmi, out of rose petals taken from this shrub. 

In Greek mythology, their story of creation is one of tragedy where Chloris, the goddess of flowers, is so distraught on finding the lifeless body of a nymph that she reincarnates her into a new flower – the Rose. Then she seeks help from Aphrodite to give beauty, Dionysus to add an enchanting perfume and Charities, the goddess of Grace, to grant radiance and charm.

In Ancient Roman legends, the red rose is symbolic of the goddess Venus. When Venus was attempting to warn her lover Adonis that there was a conspiracy to kill him, she cut her ankle while running into a thorn-filled bush, and afterwards, her blood changed into beautiful blooms of red roses wherever it touched. Roses in Roman mythology symbolised secrecy and desire and were used in the bedroom for perfume and beauty. Roman emperors would fill their baths with rose petals or use thousands of roses at parties as confetti for celebrations. The artworks of “Lawrence Alma-Tadema “depict this odd ritual in the painting “The Roses of Heliogabalus.”

“To contemplate roses is to punctuate one’s days with poetry.” 

Annie- Sophie Rondeau

Greek legends also say that Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of Love, Fertility and Passion, created the red rose. A flower that grew from the ground was watered by Aprodite’s tears and the blood of the hunter Adonis, whom she loved. Adonis did not heed her warning, and a wild boar dug his tusk into Adonis, who died in Aprodite’s arms. The goddess then declared that the flower called anemone should rise from her tears and be combined with his red blood; the anemone is a symbol of unfulfilled love. This is also reminiscent of the Shakespeare play, the love saga of Romeo and Juliet. The final scene is depicted again by a flower- the Red Rose.

Roses are known as the flower of heaven in Islamic culture and are the symbol of the human soul. Roses are used widely in Islamic culture and art, and a carpet of roses is often seen during Islamic weddings and funerals. The rose is also considered to represent divine beauty and is symbolic of the Prophet Muhammad.

Another legend from Egypt is Cleopatra would often bathe in rose water for the fragrance to seduce Roman commander Mark Antony.

“He wears the rose, Of youth upon him.“

William Shakespeare -Anthony and Cleopatra, Act 3,Scene 13

During the English historical period 1453-1455, the rose was a symbol for the two families fighting for the throne to control and rule England. The white rose represented the House of York, and the red rose the House of Lancaster- The War of the Roses.

Guy Savoy – Deep pink, almost red Rose

During the Victorian Era, it was a complete no-no to show affection in public, so many people resorted to poetry to send messages of love and attraction. Hence, the reason there are so many romantic poets from this era, such as Wordsworth, Tennyson, Browning, Shakespeare and Coleridge. In the Regency period, Robert Burns, the Scottish poet, declared his love of roses in his poem ” A Red Red Rose”.

“O my Luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June…..

Robert Burns

Contemporary customs also use red roses as rituals for romantic love and affection, particularly on Valentine’s Day, and when a Red Rose is given to a contestant on the TV series ‘The Bachelor’, the rose represents attraction. In their wedding ceremony, modern couples exchange red roses that add a visual romantic touch to represent their first gift to one another. Presenting a red rose to the Mother of the Bride or other family members is a new gift-giving ritual with red roses. Love is the immediately recognisable aspect of a red rose and is an affectionate gesture in our modern world that says so much from love, regret, appreciation, thanks and gratitude.

“Love and a red rose can’t be hid“

Thomas Holcroft

The number of Roses gifted also conveys subtle messages of love and affection, especially red roses.

• One red rose declares love at first sight.
• Two red roses express forgiveness.
• Twelve red roses are for a marriage proposal.
• Twenty-four red roses signify chivalry.
• Thirty-six red roses symbolise unconditional love and devotion.
• Fifty red roses symbolise love without boundaries.
• One hundred and one red roses means devotion.
• One hundred and eight red roses say, Will you marry me?

“The rose is a flower of love.
The world has acclaimed it for centuries.
Pink roses are for love hopeful and expectant.
White roses are for love dead or forsaken, but
the red roses, ah the red roses are for love triumphant.” 

Back to the garden where one of the new red roses Dublin Bay Clg has been planted to climb up the white front verandah pillars and across an archway. It has flowered many times this first season and is promising in its growth of medium-sized scarlet red blooms that are a good contrast against the white. Dublin Bay is also newly planted along the back fence and is beginning to settle in, with plenty of room to spread alongside the Fourth of July Rose.

“How cunningly nature hides every wrinkle of her inconceivable antiquity under roses and violets and morning dew!” 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The stunning red Hybrid Tea Rose – Ingrid Bergman was bred by L Pernille Olesen in Denmark in 1981. This rose is my sought-after rose bush with blooms on long stems in a rich dark red and high-centred bloom form. The foliage is semi-glossy on a medium upright bush with many branches, and it blooms in flushes throughout the season but with little fragrance. In New Zealand, the Ingrid Bergman rose is known as ‘Love You Mum.’

Since day one, the only true red rose in the garden was The Kardinal Rose, as I mentioned. It is an exceptional rose due to vigour, disease resistance, tolerance of extreme temperatures, colour, shape, form, frequency and abundance of roses. The roses on this Hybrid Tea are scarlet with 17 to 25 rarely distorted petals, and the bush repeat blooms the fastest of any rose. Around 40 days in summer and 45 in Autumn- amazing. Kardinal was bred by Max Krause in Germany in 1933 and introduced to Australia in 1936 by Hazelwood Bros.
The only downside to the Kardinal Rose is its lack of perfume and sharp thorns, but the roses will last a long time when cut for a vase. If you want a clear red, trouble-free rose, then The Kardinal Rose is one of the best.

Content Di Baker 2024 revised July 2025

Title quote by Oscar Wilde

Images by Di Baker