«He who does not appreciate a rose, will not appreciate anything»a traditional Spanish saying aptly says, and we totally agree. The rose has been worshiped by humanity for millennia. Beauty, elegance, versatility and fragrance: the rose has it all.

However, there is not «one rose», but many types of roses, all beautiful, but of different sizes, shapes and colors. Around 150 species They form the family Rosaceae and the genus Pink.

This means you can grow all of these types of roses. in your garden, balcony and even indoors. Still don’t know which ones to choose?

Some roses are climbing, others are bushy, and others are very small and can be grown in small pots. Here you will discover some of the most fascinating curiosities of these types of roses and the most outstanding possibilities you have when it comes to put roses in the house.

We will also tell you What do roses symbolize according to their color?especially when you give them to someone, and different ways to take advantage of the fragrance and properties of the rose in the home.

Brief history of roses

Before seeing what types of roses there are and which are the most popular, let’s do a little review of their history. Human passion for these beautiful flowers dates back millennia and the rose It is considered one of the oldest flowerswith fossil records of a rose dating back 35 million years.

From a geographical perspective, roses can be grouped into two categories: European/Mediterranean roses (Centifolia, Dawn, gallicaetc.) and the oriental roses (China and tea roses).

These are some of the curiosities about its history:

• Humans began to grow roses 5,000 years ago in China. In 500 BC, Confucius was impressed by the emperor’s collection of books on the subject.
• Roses were also found in 5th century Egyptian tombs, and specialists believe that Cleopatra loved them so much that she had her fountain filled with rose water.
• For the romans, They were symbols of love, beauty, passion and purity.
• Napoleon’s wife Josephine, He played an important role in the rich history of the rose, establishing one of the first major rose collections at the Château de Malmaison. He had more than 250 varieties of roses in the gardens of his palace, most of them Mediterranean.
• The chinese roseRosa chinensis) It was introduced to Europe in the 18th century, and botanists began to cross it with the giant rose, thus giving rise to the spectacular hybrid: the tea rose.
• A few decades later, botanists created a new type of rose by crossing the Damascus rose with other species, thus creating an industry that brought us the beautiful varieties of roses that we can grow today in our gardens.

Types of roses

The roses They grow in almost all climates, from the arctic (lax rose) to the steppes of Mongolia, (Rosa acicularis) and the arid regions of Persia, Afghanistan and Turkestan (persian rose). There are also a few species that grow in swampy areas (Rosa palustrus).

A common classification is that of the American Rose Society, which considers that there are three main types of roses:

1. Wild or botanical roses

They are the ones that They grow naturally, without human intervention in its cultivation. They commonly grow as shrubs between 0.5 and 6 meters in size.

2. Antique garden roses

The roses of this group are all types of garden that existed before 1867the year in which ‘La France’ was created, the first hybrid between the tea rose ‘Madame Bravy’ and the perpetual hybrid ‘Madame Victor Verdier’. They include species that have their origin in the Chinese rose (R. Chinensis) and the roses that were already there before on the European continent.

3. Modern roses

They began with the introduction of «La France», the first hybrid tea rose, created by the Frenchman Guillot. This It is the archetypal rose that we all have in our minds. Are elegant, resistant and with a long flowering period.

Hybridized roses have been crossed over and over again by breeders to produce the thousands of varieties Available to gardeners and growers around the world.

The most popular varieties of roses

There are numerous species roses that thrive in a wide range of habitats. With so many varieties available on the market, it is just a matter of choose the ones that suit your climate and that you want to see in your garden.

If you live in a hot, dry climate, a good starting point would be to select a type of rose that thrives in this particular environment, such as the Persian yellow rose (Rosa foetida blind), the Chinese rose (Rosa chinensis), the hybrid tea rose, etc.

If, on the other hand, you live in a region with a temperate climate, you can choose practically any type of rose. Whenever they are planted in a place where they receive 6 hours of sun a day, They will thank you and reward you with their beautiful flowers.