Apothecary rose…

Rosa Gallica Officinalis aka the Apothecary Rose. This is the oldest known cultivated rose in existence with a documented history that goes back more than a thousand years. It blooms once per year and has an old rose fragrance unlike any rose I’ve ever smelled. It is known as the Apothecary Rose because every part of the plant from petals to leaves to hips to seeds to leaf and root have been used in herbal remedies over the ages. This rose is often found in medieval gardens and old monastery and convent gardens throughout Europe where the earliest known cultivation began. I’m glad to have this historic and unique rose in my garden along with the striped variant known as Rosa Mundi which I posted yesterday, it bloomed a day earlier than this one.