Even if June is the middle of Summer and we're sweating it out because of the heat, we can still enjoy the beauty of Roses. Rose is the flower for June and June is the National Rose Month. What a way to celebrate the Summer with a cool walk into the garden or a park with the beautiful sight of roses and fragrance in the air

Blushing in full glory in all the 50 states, the rose, in a way, represents the American nation. It is the state flower of New York state; Iowa holds up the wild rose as the state flower, while North Dakota has adopted the prairie rose for itself. French explorer Samuel de Champlain brought the first cultivated roses to North America. From then on, the rose has come to represent the sentiments of the country and its variety. America as a nation has come to identify itself with the rose and its perennial symbolism of love, beauty, respect and courage. The rose was made the national flower by a House of Representative resolution in September 23, 1986. President Ronald Reagan signed up the resolution into law on October 7 with a ceremony in the White House rose garden.

Statistics show that the rose is by far the most favorite of America’s flowers for any occasion—from anniversaries to funerals, from expressing love to simple joy. A major part of the consumer industry flourishes on this flower—products are made from rose-oil to rose-wood. Every year in Texas, rose admirers have millions of roses for their eyes to feast upon. With the start of the use of plastic bags and cold storage facilities from the late 1950's, the rose-processing industry received a headstart. The rose industry in America sees a huge involvement of the women, for it requires in large measure very intricate skilled labor—from selecting, to pruning, to harvesting and packaging. In fact, cultivating roses is a round-the-year industry, for every rose in sight, is taken to the market for any number of occasions and events in the American calendar. The cosmetic market is flooded with a number of rose products from hair oil, shampoo, body lotion, face gel, nourishing cream, perfume etc. Rose is also a popular culinary product; used as exotic herb, it is added in food for flavor and nutrition.

For any occasion from Mother’s Day to Valentine’s Day or to say a simple “I love you”—the rose is the most favored form of conveying emotions. Often fresh-cut roses grown in the US are preserved in gold, silver or platinum, encased in specially carved wooden boxes, meant for special relations. The impression is always to believe that a rose is a gift forever—its color might fade, so may its fragrance. But what remains forever is the love and care it puts across. Bouquets are designed and sold for all occasions, each uniquely different. Each occasion has a different mood; each mood has a different set of collection. It has been statistically and psychologically proven that people, especially women react more genuinely to receiving flowers than to any other gift items. And here too, the rose scores above all the rest !

Labels: ecards, floral wishes, rose month