Roses are Treasured for Many Reasons: their enchanting beauty and sweet fragrance, their fascinating history, their rich symbolic power, and their value as the most versatile of garden plants. Fossils of roses estimated to be between three and twenty-three million years old have been found in such diverse locations as Bulgaria, France, Germany, the western United States, China, and Japan. Ancient societies as varied as the locations in which rose fossils have been found, such as Egypt, Persia, and Rome, recognized the evocative power of this flower in their creation myths. From the earliest stories to modern-day romance, the rose is one of the most rich and pervasive symbols in painting, literature, and popular culture. In Roses, author Peter Harkness explores these aspects of roses and more, looking at the links that tie simple wild roses of nature to the earliest roses of civilization, debunking myths that have come to surround the flower, and telling how the dedication of skilled gardeners from many nations has brought the full-petaled beauties of today into being. Illustrated with exquisite works from the archives of the Royal Horticultural Society, readers can indulge in some of the most sublime rose specimens ever created, drawn, and painted. Each illustration is also accompanied by the specific history of the variety of rose depicted. In this new reduced-format edition, gardeners, botanists, botanical artists, and art lovers alike will find a luscious and informative guide to roses of every description. Book jacket.