The peace rose has a lovely story. To quote Wikipedia:
In 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:
“We hope the ‘Peace’ rose will influence men’s thoughts for everlasting world peace.”
La rose de la paix a une belle histoire. Pour citer Wikipedia (ma traduction):
Au début de l’année 1945 Meilland a écrit au marechal Alan Brooke (plus tard Vicomte Alanbrooke), l’auteur principal de la stratégie de maître qui a gagné la deuxième guerre mondiale, pour le remercier de sa contribution clé à la libération de la France et demander si Brooke donnerait son nom à la rose. Brooke a refusé en disant que bien que cette demande soit un honneur, on oublierait vit son nom. Il trouvait qu’un nom bien meilleur et plus pérenne serait “paix”.
L’adoption du nom commercial de “paix” a été annoncé publiquement aux Etats-Unis le 29 avril 1945. C’était le jour même de la chute de Berlin, date considérée officiellement comme marquant la fin de la deuxième guerre en Europe. Un peu plus tard la même année, on a offert des roses de la paix à chacune des délégations à la réunion inaugurale des Nations unis à San Francisco. Avec chaque rose,il y avait un message:
“Nous espérons que la rose de la paix influencera les pensées des hommes vers une paix mondiale durable.”
Categories
5 replies on “The Peace Rose – La rose de la paix”
It is very pretty!
I know this is nitpicking, but it is such a shame that Peace comes from a period in rose breeding when a particular flower form was all important and scent was not. Consequently Peace obligingly and reliably does the classic hybrid tea shape and has a lovely blush, but isn’t scented and is rather a stiff plant overall. It is very much a rose of its time.
PS Reading up on it I see that it is supposed to be scented. Well it fooled me! These days I suspect descriptions refer to it as scented because the consumer expects a scented rose. Descriptions of the scent vary quite a bit. Maybe it has one of those scents that some people either can’t detect or don’t find particularly appealing. At best it’s sort of fresh and planty, very light. In a blind sniff off I wonder how many people would identify it as rose?
I quite agree. Only one of our rose bushes is scented. The peace rose definitely is not! I love the colours though!
[…] last until the beginning of winter. From left to right: pink cloud, unknown, orchid smile and the peace rose (Madame A. […]