The rose is steeped in history and tradition. Below are a few interesting facts and trivia you may not have known about the world's most favorite flower.
Three separate nationally conducted public opinion polls, dating from 1975 to 1986, found the rose to be the number one flower choice of over 85 percent of those individuals surveyed.
The most popular rose giving holidays in the U.S. are Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Christmas.
The rose is the official National Floral Emblem of the United States. This legislation was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on November 20, 1986. The rose is also the state flower selected by Georgia, Iowa, New York, North Dakota and the District of Columbia.
George Washington, our first president, was also our first U.S. rose breeder!
Columbus may have discovered America because of a rose! It is written that on October 11, 1492, in the Sargasso Sea, one of the crewmen picked a rose branch from the water. This sign of land renewed their hope for survival and gave the seafarers the courage to continue on to the New World.
In 1994, over 1,200,000,000 roses were purchased by U.S. flower buyers. This works out to an average consumption of 4.67 roses per person.
The rose is said to be native to the United States. The oldest fossilized imprint of a rose, estimated to be 35 million years old, was left on a slate deposit in Florisant, Colorado.
One acre of greenhouse rose production in the U.S. is valued at about one million dollars, including value of plants, greenhouse structure and land.
There are nearly 900 acres of greenhouse area dedicated to the production of fresh cut roses in the U.S.
About 60% of the roses grown in the U.S. are produced in California.
The world’s largest rosebush is located in Tombstone, Arizona. Planted from a slip from another rosebush in the late 18th century, its trunk is nearly six feet around. When in full bloom, this rosebush has more than 200,000 blossoms - and its branches spread out six feet thick over an arbor under which more than 150 people can be seated comfortably.
