Where Did Roses Come From?

Roses have flourished on earth for millions of years, and were cultivated by man since very early times. The cultivated rose is so old that we don’t even know where it was first grown!

The Egyptians planted rose gardens in their palaces as early as 3000 B.C. The ancient Romans made wine from roses. The Greeks, who called the rose the “king of flowers,” had a legend to explain why the rose bush has thorns.

According to the legend, the god of love, called Eros or Cupid, was enjoying the aroma of a rose one day when he was stung by a bee hiding inside the flower. Cupid then punished the rose by shooting arrows into its stem, and rose stems forever after had thorns.

There’s one natural reason why roses smell so nice, roses don’t have nectar, like most flowers, and rely on their aroma and color to attract insects for pollination!

In the 18th century, people in England often put rose petals in their salads!

Lilies:

Lilies belongs to Liliaceae family and genus Lilium, which consists of about 110 species. They are considered, as the star of summer, due to the reason that they bloom when other flowers fade away. These are leafy stemmed herbs. They form underground bulbs, while some species develop stolons. Most of the species are grown in temperate and sub-tropical regions. They can be also grown as potted plants. The lilies can be used as herbaceous borders, shrub plantings and woodland. There are three types of tulips based on their blooming period such as an early season, mid season and late season flowering tulips. Daylily, Tiger lily, Oriental Trumpet and Asiatic lily are few varieties of lilies.

                 Tulips:

Tulips are perennial, which belongs to the genus Tulipa. They belong to the family Liliaceae and consist of about 109 species. These most popular spring flowers bloom in various colors, sizes and shapes. These flowering plants are grown in gardens as potted plants or as fresh cut flowers. These are spring blooming perennials, which grow from bulbs. These plants can grow from 4 inches to 28 inches depending on the species.

Orchids:

These are the most beautiful, sensual, exotic and expensive flowers that comprise a unique group of plants. Orchids consist of 600-800 genera and 25000-35000 species. These flowers are most commonly valued for cut flower production and as potted plants. An orchid consists of two types such as terrestrial and epiphytes. Terrestrial orchids grow on the ground, while epiphytes grow on trees.

Carnations:

Carnation is a herbaceous perennial plant. They belong to the Dianthus genus. This flower is almost everyone’s favorite. It grows to about 80 cm in height. The leaves are grayish green to blue-green. The flower color is bright pinkish-purple. There are three types of carnations. They need well-drained, somewhat alkaline soil and full sun. These plants are easy to grow as flower garden plants.

Vocabulary Focus

8.   Match the words from two columns to create a phrase and make sentences to use them in your own text entitled “Popular garden flowers and their characteristics”. Share your ideas with the partner:

9. Match the words from two columns to create a phrase and make sentences to use them in your own text entitled “The Rose and its history”. Share your ideas with the partner: