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Peace (rose)
Encyclopedia
The Peace rose
is a well-known and successful garden rose. Over one hundred million plants had been sold, as of 1992. It is a Hybrid Tea
rose with large flowers of a light yellow to cream color, slightly flushed at the petal edges with crimson-pink. It is hardy and vigorous and relatively resistant to disease, making it popular in gardens as well as in the floral trade.
It was developed by French
horticulturist Francis Meilland in the years 1935 to 1939. When Meilland foresaw the German invasion of France he sent cuttings to friends in Italy, Turkey, Germany, and the United States to protect the new rose. It is said, that it was sent to the US on the last plane available before the German invasion, where it was safely propagated by the Conard Pyle Co.
during the war.
name, while all others are trade name
s.
The rose became known as 'Peace' in the following way: Early 1945 Meilland wrote to Field Marshal Alan Brooke (later Viscount Alanbrooke), the principal author of the master strategy that won the Second World War, to thank him for his key part in the liberation of France and to ask if Brooke would give his name to the rose. Brooke declined saying that, though he was honored to be asked, his name would soon be forgotten and a much better and more enduring name would be "Peace".
The adoption of the trade name "Peace" was publicly announced in the United States
on 29 April 1945 by the introducers, Messrs Conard Pyle Co.
. This was the very day that Berlin fell, officially considered the end of the Second World War in Europe. Later that year Peace roses were given to each of the delegations at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations
in San Francisco, each with a note which read:
Peter Beales, English rose grower and expert, said in his book Roses:
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
is a well-known and successful garden rose. Over one hundred million plants had been sold, as of 1992. It is a Hybrid Tea
Hybrid Tea
Hybrid Tea is a cultivar group of roses, created by cross-breeding two different types of roses, initially by hybridising Hybrid Perpetuals with Tea roses...
rose with large flowers of a light yellow to cream color, slightly flushed at the petal edges with crimson-pink. It is hardy and vigorous and relatively resistant to disease, making it popular in gardens as well as in the floral trade.
It was developed by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
horticulturist Francis Meilland in the years 1935 to 1939. When Meilland foresaw the German invasion of France he sent cuttings to friends in Italy, Turkey, Germany, and the United States to protect the new rose. It is said, that it was sent to the US on the last plane available before the German invasion, where it was safely propagated by the Conard Pyle Co.
Conard Pyle Co.
Conard Pyle Co, is a horticultural house which has been based in West Grove, Pennsylvania, USA, for over 150 years and the introducer of the Peace rose to America , always specialised in rose production, but at one time, they were the leading Canna grower and hybridizer in the USA...
during the war.
Naming
As Meilland sent his cuttings just before the war, communication between the cultivators was not possible, which is why the rose received different names. In France it was called 'Madame A. Meilland', in honour of the breeder's mother, in Italy 'Gioia' (it. for joy), in Germany 'Gloria Dei' (lat. for glory to god) and in the USA 'Peace'. Rosa 'Madame A. Meilland' is the formal cultivarCultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
name, while all others are trade name
Trade name
A trade name, also known as a trading name or a business name, is the name which a business trades under for commercial purposes, although its registered, legal name, used for contracts and other formal situations, may be another....
s.
The rose became known as 'Peace' in the following way: Early 1945 Meilland wrote to Field Marshal Alan Brooke (later Viscount Alanbrooke), the principal author of the master strategy that won the Second World War, to thank him for his key part in the liberation of France and to ask if Brooke would give his name to the rose. Brooke declined saying that, though he was honored to be asked, his name would soon be forgotten and a much better and more enduring name would be "Peace".
The adoption of the trade name "Peace" was publicly announced in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 29 April 1945 by the introducers, Messrs Conard Pyle Co.
Conard Pyle Co.
Conard Pyle Co, is a horticultural house which has been based in West Grove, Pennsylvania, USA, for over 150 years and the introducer of the Peace rose to America , always specialised in rose production, but at one time, they were the leading Canna grower and hybridizer in the USA...
. This was the very day that Berlin fell, officially considered the end of the Second World War in Europe. Later that year Peace roses were given to each of the delegations at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in San Francisco, each with a note which read:
- "We hope the 'Peace' rose will influence men’s thoughts for everlasting world peaceWorld peaceWorld Peace is an ideal of freedom, peace, and happiness among and within all nations and/or people. World peace is an idea of planetary non-violence by which nations willingly cooperate, either voluntarily or by virtue of a system of governance that prevents warfare. The term is sometimes used to...
".
Peter Beales, English rose grower and expert, said in his book Roses:
- "'Peace', without doubt, is the finest Hybrid Tea ever raised and it will remain a standard variety forever".