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Yellow Roses
The perfect way to show friendship and to brighten someone's day has always been to
give them yellow roses. The color yellow in flowers and in ribbon has become associated
with welcoming someone home after the release of the song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon."
Yellow flowers, especially roses add a ray of sunshine to any room in the home when you
add a bouquet to a table or use them as a centrepiece.
Although the traditional color associated with roses is pink or red, wild roses in a yellow
color were discovered growing wild in the Middle East during the 18th century. The roses
from Afghanistan and Southeast Asia ranged in color from a very deep shade to pale.
When they were brought to Europe, there appearance caused a great flurry of activity
with everyone wanting them.
There are three species of these roses that form the basis for the hybrids we see today.
The Rosa Ecae comes from Afghanistan and is very small and thorny. The blooms look
more like a buttercup and do not last long in a colder climate. Rosa Foetida is very large,
with stems often growing as high as 8 feet. The yellow flowers are also big with yellow
stamens. Rosa Hemisphaerica comes from Southeast Asia and these have double flowers.
The stems grow to a height of about 6 feet.
Before the end of the 18th century Dutch and French florists had succeeded in developing
about 24 species of roses, but most of these were white, red or pink. When the yellow
colored rose was introduced a problem also surfaced with growing roses – blackspot.
This was a fungal disease that destroyed the plants because they grow best in their native
warm habitats. After a while the florists were able to overcome the problem to produce
the delightful flowers we enjoy today.
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