Yellow Rose Persia's Secret: Floral Journal

Yellow Rose / Persia's Secret / Floral JournalFor centuries, Europeans could only dream of the yellow rose. The roses they grew were red, white, and pink - but yellow was the secret of the gardens of ancient Persia, held behind walls of stone and distance for longer than anyone could say. When this rose finally arrived in Europe around 1600, carried from the sun-drenched gardens of Asia Minor, it caused a sensation unlike almost anything else in the history of gardening.It was called the Sulfur Rose - named for the extraordinary intensity of its yellow, a color Europeans had never seen in a rose before. Botanists coveted it. Collectors paid handsomely for it. And then, almost invariably, they failed to grow it. In the damp climates of England and France, the petals would ball up and refuse to open, as if the rose still longed for the dry heat of its ancient home in Persia and Armenia. For two hundred years, it remained one of the great prizes and great frustrations of European horticulture.This illustration is from Les Roses, the landmark botanical album painted by Pierre-Joseph Redoute in early 1800s Paris. Redoute - the artist Napoleon's court called the Raphael of flowers - had a particular affection for this rose, and his painting captures in brilliant detail what most European gardens could never coax into bloom.Inside this journal you will find:The story of this flower - where it came from and what made it worth keepingFour full-page botanical illustrations marking the quarters of the journal200 lined and numbered pages on quality cream paperCompact 6 x 9 inch format - sits comfortably on a desk, in a bag, or on a bedside tableDecorative rope borders throughout - a distinctive finish on every page.The Sulfur Rose's story did not end with its European difficulties. It is now understood to be one of the ancestors of all modern yellow roses - the ancient Persian secret that eventually, centuries later, changed every rose garden in the world. The deep, globe-shaped blooms shown here, sulfur-yellow and packed with petals, are as striking today as they were when Redoute first set brush to paper.A beautiful gift for anyone who loves roses, gardens, botanical art, or the idea that the most beautiful things are sometimes the hardest to find.A journal should be more than just blank pages. This one comes with a story that traveled from the gardens of ancient Persia to a painter's studio in Paris.Published by Between The Pages Publishing. Read more