Celebrated each year on April 29, it is National Peace Rose Day. Today is set aside to honor the Peace rose, a well known and successful garden rose.
The light yellow to cream colored large flowers of the Peace rose have slightly flushed crimson pink petal edges. It is a hybrid tea rose that is hardy, vigorous and highly resistant to disease.
French horticulturist Francis Meilland, developed the Peace rose between 1935 and 1939. When Meilland foresaw the German invasion of France, to protect the new rose, he sent cutting to his friends in Italy, Turkey, Germany and the United States. It is believed that these cuttings were sent to the United States on the last plane that was available before the German invasion.
The rose received different names in each country it was sent to. In France, it was called “Madame A. Meilland” in honor of the breeder’s mother. In Italy, it is call Gioia, meaning Joy. In Germany, the name of the rose is Gloria Dei, for glory to god. In the United States, the rose was named Peace.
The day that Berlin fell, officially considered the end of the Second World War in Europe, was the day that the trade name “Peace” was publicly announced, as the name of the rose, in the United States which was on April 29, 1945.
Later in 1945, Peace roses were given to each delegate at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations, in San Francisco, with a note that read:
“We hope the “Peace” rose will influence men’s thoughts for everlasting world peace”.
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