Anja Taschner

Thoughts on……

Yes, the rose has its place in Biodiversity!

By Anja Taschner

Some time ago we decided to collaborate with the Johannesburg Zoo for our stand at Gardenex 2010. I was actually only after their collection of taxidermy animals – I had pictured the rose garden with a giraffe ‘chewing’ on a flower; you know ‘the unrealistic drama’ that makes a show a show.

I then met with their Senior Horticulturist, Sakhile Maphumulo and their Marketing Manager, Louise Gordon. I was soon to realize that the Zoo had their own agenda being part of world conservation programs etc. So ‘Biodiversity’ is to be the main theme for our stand, fittingly so, as 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity Awareness. Obviously, me being the daughter of the rose king, had not put much thought to biodiversity when we have such awesome diversity in the known cultivars of roses. So Wikipedia had to provide some answers fast, before me going into a meeting knowing nothing but roses.

Biodiversity is the variety of life: the different plants, animals and micro-organisms, their genes and the ecosystems of which they are a part. It is home to more than one million species of plants and animals, many of which are found nowhere else in the world

Biodiversity also supports a number of natural ecosystem processes and services. Some ecosystem services that benefit society are air quality, climate (both global CO₂sequestration and local), water purification pollination, and prevention of erosion.

Species are now being lost at a rate approximately 100 times as fast as is typical in the geological record, or perhaps as high as 10 000 times as fast.

Non-material benefits that are obtained from ecosystems include spiritual and aesthetic values, knowledge systems and the value of education. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity#Definitions)

Suddenly I had hot flushes, reading all of this, wondering: ‘But where does the rose fit in? And who is going to preserve this Queen of all flowers? And how do we go about it?

Okay, easy, I thought – we educate, we change our show garden and start adding in some indigenous grasses and bulbs – surely they will not compete too much with our beloved roses. It is already quite common in ‘out of the box’ gardens to find roses under planted with salad and cabbages. Aloes might present a new challenge as they prefer less water – but even that is easily overcome by simply placing a tall pot in the rose bedding . If one looks at the inflorescence of aloes leaves one observes that they are in the shape of a rosette – all closely attached to the base and placed perfectly like petals of rose blooms. So why not mix them all up. We have some colour in winter and the nectar feeding birds have some sweet food. Proteas and pincushions seem to be even making their homes in Gauteng gardens – these being part of a family of plants that are looking extinction deep into the eye – due to our vast human destruction of natural spaces.

I swear I shall never dig out a plant from a natural area ever again – or walk on primary dunes to disturb our natural heritage.

Yet the key in the preservation of the rose lies in its own sincere and strong power to alleviate human sorrow and uplift our physiological well being  which is closely linked to our health.  The roses’ shape, colours and divine fragrances help us combat stress, sooth the pain of love madness, help us forget for moments all the bad and scary things this world presents us with on a daily basis. Thus we humans will (hopefully) consciously and subconsciously protect the roses.

The scent of roses in particular awaken our senses: we associate relaxing, calmness, womanliness, delicacy, harmony, heart opening, love and sensuality with it.

Nature never does anything by chance, it is all for a purpose – it used to be thought that flowering plants were created by God for the happiness of man, in the mean time we understand that they play their very own intense game of sexual attractions, calling on their matching pollinators with their colours, marked landing strips, scents  – to reproduce and act as the ‘greening machines’ as they are.

Going slightly off the topic, I must explain that the build up of rose scent molecules are actually erogenous components of fatty – sweaty, faeces-like smelling indol. These are also found in the woman’s womb. Do you see the connection – subconscious memories of happily growing in Mommy’s tummy without any worries at all…….. And don’t worry about ever pulling up your nose in disgust of the rose’s perfume – due to the indol being present only in minute quantities it smells absolutely dazzling to us and the many insects around that feed on our precious ones. At this point you should not be shocked to know that these scents, including urine of Alaskan dear is found in the world’s most renowned perfumes, defining our kinship to our world.

But this scent does not alone account for the rose playing the main role for many centuries, amongst all nations as the ‘Flower Queen of Love!’

Research on smells has shown that the effect of scent is accompanied and determined by colour and shape.

The round shape of petals of an open rose bloom remind us of a ripe woman; the colour pink is associated with the sensuousness of the human skin, red with lips and passionate kissing. While the clear lines of a still closed bud only have us guessing about the ripening fragrance and shape.

Rose perfume belongs to the strongest aphrodisiac smells, because her narcotic effect opens us to sensuous anticipations.

And so my question is answered why there are mainly men in the rose world and why husbands are often just too happy to work in the rose garden! And why not if it makes them and us happier!

This exact love to the rose is how it found its way here – people trying to bring their memories from home to their new home, as a growing or bare-rooted plant.

Roses are not indigenous to South Africa, mainly originating in Asia, Europe and some in North Africa. The latter include Rosa Canina, Rosa corymbifera and Rosa sempervirens which are from Morroco, Algeria, and Tunisia. R. richardii and R. moschata var. abyssincia originated at the Red Sea region. (Gerd Krüssmann, Roses)

Interesting is that South Africa has over the years officially naturalized only two roses:

Rosa rubiginosa (Sweet briar, Eglantine rose) and Rosa x odorata (Tea rose).

These are some of the species roses cultivated ion South Africa.

Rosa abyssinica, native to tropical East Africa; Rosa acicularis (Arctic rose, Prickly rose); Rosa agrestis; Rosa banksiae (Lady Banks’ rose); Rosa bracteata (Macartney rose); Rosa caesia; Rosa canina (Dog rose); Rosa chinensis (China rose, Fairy rose); Rosa foetida (Austrian brier, Austrian yellow rose); Rosa rugosa (Japanese rose, Rugosa rose); Rosa serafinii (Mediterranean rose); Rosa setigera (Prairie rose); Rosa sinowilsonii; Rosa spinosissima (Burnet rose, Scots rose); Rosa sweginzowii; Rosa wichuraiana; Rosa x borboniana (Bourbon rose); Rosa x centifolia (Cabbage rose, Holland rose, Provence rose); Hybrid bred from Rosa gallica, Rosa moschata, Rosa canina and Rosa damascena. Rosa x damascena (Damask rose);Hybrid of Rosa gallica and Rosa moschata. Rosa x harisonii I shall not even attempt to list the cultivars growing here, it would fill a book, 2 sizes of our catalogue. Roses for the use in daily life were produced for the decorations at festivals, of both rooms and guests, for important ceremonial presentations, for needs of personal cleanliness, for the decoration of tombs and finally, for the religious sacrifices and funerals. When speaking of the use of roses it the flower that stands in the forefront. Or the high vitamin C containing hips used to make medicines and food stuffs. But one should never forget that the rose plant also fulfils its duty to our earth. The mere capacity of photosynthesis and respiration surely beats that of a succulent, as they are designed differently. Therefore the rose plays an equally important part in cleansing urban air, cooling the atmosphere around us and assisting with use and recycling of vital essential elements in the soils; providing nutrition to bacteria, fungi and micro-organisms living in the soils.  Yet the rose takes up much less water than our beautiful, invasive, inter alia Jacaranda trees. As rose gardeners we can adapt to scare water conditions by gardening wisely; ensuring that water will reach the roots of the plants and a good layer of mulch is used to combat the hot, sunny months. Or as said earlier, we can under plant roses with other smaller indigenous annuals and small perennials. It would make no sense to decide in a wild act of preserving the natural diversity in South Africa to go into the garden and rip out all plants that are exotic, as some have already formed micro-habitats for other living creatures. Roses as such will never pose the problem of becoming invasive as their seed need to lie cold, wet and dormant for a good 2 -3 months before even attempting germination. What is important though is to choose the right plants for the right space and climate, also considering the living creatures around us in urbanised areas. Our role as a ROSE SOCIETY is to preserve the rose and to create interest in the rose where ever we go, with whom ever we meet. We have finally updated the ROSA website to keep the rose in the eye of the people using modern technology – please visit the site www.rosessouthafrica.co.za and send us your comments on any rose related issues. Let’s talk roses…. And finally, Ludwig’s Roses is sponsoring a rose garden to the Johannesburg Zoo to mark this collaboration and the Year of Biodiversity 2010. It will be awe inspiring, flowing along the ‘Memorial Boulevard’ – which creates a linear framed vista onto the famous ‘Westcliff Hotel’ to the bottom and the ‘Museum of Military History’ at the top. Ever imagined hearing elephants trumpeting while smelling roses?  Well, now we have the chance to find out just that – the roses should be at their best by mid March. And as to Biodiversity, I realise that we are custodians of this precious earth. By being aware and sharing awareness we can have a future side by side with living creatures and all the colours and fragrances available to the human imagination. But are we humans really activly trying to be aware and speard awareness? I don’t have the answer to that. We, Ludwig’s Roses, built up a 200m2 stand at the ‘Gardenex * ‘Greenliving’ fair’. I tell you the disappointment when building up our stand and seeing next to us a ‘floor steam cleaner’; pots and pans selling at over R2000.00 a peice – sure German made – but at a Gardenshow? But guess where the people were? Right there, entranced by this man’s voice, his political slants, his simply awsome way of selling – they say Hitler was like that, he could hipnotise masses by his use of tone – and more – I am sure. Our stand, right in the centre, an explosision of coulour, of information. Imagine this: a 20m2  pyramid built up with flowering roses with one mean looking Polar Bear right on top! The Lion was striking a lazy pose amongst grasses of all types – surrounded by deep red, well franky, any red you can imagine – perfect cut roses. Simply sexy. The CEO of the Johannesburg Zoo commented possitivly that he was not sure I could pull it off: animals & roses. Why the hell not; they are both beauties created by mother nature. Infact they suit each other. Why would a lion not want to smell the roses – it seems scent molecules in plants and animals and humans arouse the same……? The point is this: the show was lousy. The stands where lousy. But did our stand even arouse reaction to the bold statement we made? Was simply to much information not spoonfed by videos running? And just to really promote the rose, catch us at ‘Grand Show Live’ – May 2010, Coca Cola Dome – with a completely new design of course. 24 May 2010 Grand Design happened and past – it was just that: fast. The Oliveman was there. Yudikha – with ‘take me home’ cooking – it’s good food but don’t try it on a hung over-hurt stomach, it will burn. This I learnt on a previous show. Anyway, the gardening section, that is where we had our stand. ‘Rose rain’ we abtly named it, Anrico and I, for it was a sculpted landscape of frames, haning in the air, held by cables, showing off roses of all sorts. It has been a difficult year in terms of keeping diseases at bay. It has been cold, rainy and wet – not our average May. Yet, fragrant they were, some beautifully big, others with friendly smiles. An interesting show. A kitchen section, bathrooms, well interiors & exteriors for home makers. A little more ‘jushhhhh’ the whole thing needs. It lies in our capapility, the various industries to show our mettle in sparkling design. We need to ‘woe’ the masses.