Intoxicating Fragranced Roses - Nuits de Young

"Nuits de Young", syns Black Moss, Old Black.

Bred by Jean Laffay (France, 1845).

One of the most famous Mosses.The English poet Edward Young (1683-1765) and his poem "Night Thoughts" are commemorated by the anglophile Laffay. The flowers, like his writings, are striking and dark, deepest burgundy velvet lit by golden stamens.

This rose wants to have a place in full sunlight, despite the very dark colour of its blooms, changing from deepest purple to blueish-grey with age, which is not unpleasant in this case. The flowers are quite small, but - what a show! The few visible bright yellow stamens do the trick (just like "Tuscany superb").

It is a small, not very strong-growing, bushy rose, best planted in groups or as a low hedge. It is (like all mosses) very susceptible to rust and mildew. It doesn't like too much humidity as well as in the air or in the ground.

Moss. Dark purple, lighter shading while aging, golden-yellow stamens.

Strong fragrance.

Medium, semi-double to double, cluster-flowered, in small clusters, flat bloom form.

Once-blooming spring or summer.

Mossed buds.

Short, bushy, upright.

Height of 4' to 5' (120 to 150 cm). Width of 3' to 4' (90 to 120 cm).

Zone 3. Can be used for garden or hedge. Prefers full sun.

Award fo Garden Merit in 2001 from the Royal Horticultural Society Show.

"Tired Nature's sweet restorer, balmy Sleep!

(...) And Midnight, universal Midnight, reigns."

The first and last verse of "Night Thoughts", Edward Young.

Intoxicating Fragranced Roses - Rosa Centifolia

In May, the absolute Queen of flowers is Rosa Centifolia.

Known also as Cabbage Rose, Hundred-Petalled Rose, Province Rose, Rose de Mai or Rose des Peintres (Painters’ Rose) because it was featured in so many medieval flower paintings, it is a splendid rose, adorning our gardens with beautiful, deliciously fragrant flowers.

Other names are: Holland Rose, Gul-i-sad-warg, Kohl Rose, Rosa provincialis maior, Rose a Cent Feuilles, Rose Chou, Rosa persica, Rosa incarnata, Common Provence, Rosa purpurea.

Probably originated in the Caucasus and first cultivated in Persia, it is said to have reached Britain in 1596 and has been used since in hybridizing and for its delightful fragrance.

Nowadays this rose is cultivated widely (mostly in the south of France and Morocco) to supply the perfume industry with attar of roses.

The full, globular, deep glowing pink flowers have numerous petals becoming darker towards the centre and appear in early to mid-summer (once-flowering). They are arranged in small clusters and emerge from tight feathery buds. They are flattish, very double and very fragrant.

The bushy, well-branched shrub can attain a height between 5' to 6' 11" (150 to 210 cm) in good soil and the width is up to 5' (150 cm), producing long strong shoots with numerous reddish thorns and prickles. Its leaves are coarse, both in appearance and to touch, and are grayish green. The zone were it thrives is from 4 to 9.

You can use the intoxicating fragranced petals in many recipes, as salads, jam, syrup, tea or potpourri. And, of course, it has such a vintage charm in the garden…

You’ll love this wonderful rose, despite its only once flowering.

Rosa Gallica

Synonyms: Red Rose, French Rose, Rosier de France, Rose de France, Rosa Rubra, Rose of Miletus (Pliny).

Unknown origin (before 1554).

Deep pink, strong fragrance.

5 to 15 petals. Large, single, cluster-flowered, cupped bloom form. Once-blooming spring or summer.

Climbing, suckers on its own roots.

Height of 100-120cm, width of 80-100 cm.

Zone 4. Remove old canes or diseased wood. Prune after flowering is finished.

Tetraploid.

Same characteristics as Rosa Gallica Officinalis:

Rosa gallica (Gallic Rose, French Rose, or Rose of Provins) is a species of rose native to southern and central Europe eastwards to Turkey and the Caucasus. The cultivar Rosa gallica officinalis is also called Apothecary's Rose.
It is a deciduous shrub forming large patches of shrubbery, the stems with prickles and glandular bristles. The leaves are pinnate, with three to seven bluish-green leaflets. The flowers are clustered one to four together, single with five petals, fragrant, deep pink. The hips are globose to ovoid, 10–13 mm diameter, orange to brownish.
The species is easily cultivated on well drained soil in full sun to semishade; it can survive temperatures down to −25 °C. It is one of the earliest cultivated species of roses, being cultivated by the Greek and Romans and it was commonly used in Mediaeval gardens. It has been used for medicinal purposes ever since its birth and it is also part of the story of the War of the Roses.

It serves well as erosion control on steep sites.
... And it has an intense fragrance...

In the 19th century it was the most important species of rose to be cultivated, and most modern European rose cultivars have at least a small contribution from R. gallica in their ancestry.

Cultivars of the species R. gallica and hybrids close in appearance are best referred to a Cultivar Group as the Gallica Group roses. The ancestry is usually unknown and the influence of other species can not be ruled out.
The Gallica Group roses share the vegetative characters of the species, forming low suckering shrubs. The flowers can be single, but most commonly double or semidouble. The colours range from white (rare) to pink and deep purple.

All Gallica Group roses are once flowering. They are easily cultivated.

Rosa Foetida Persiana

The same characteristics as Rosa Foetida.

Also named Persian Yellow, Persiana, Jaune de Perse. Unknown origin - before 1838, discovered by Sir Henry Willock (UK, 1837).

Hybrid Foetida, Species Rose (wild).

Golden yellow colour, unpleasant fragrance. Small, semi-double to double, globular bloom form.

Once-blooming spring or summer.

Armed with thorns/prickles, spreading. Small, semi-glossy, fragrant foliage with 7 leaflets. Height of 150 to 200 cm, width of 120 to 150 cm.

Zone 3 or warmer. Susceptible to blackspot. Do not prune, it doesn't like it!
The Swedish Rose Society recommends Rosa Feotida Persiana for northern Sweden.

Rosa Foetida

Rosa foetida is a species of rose, native to the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. It has yellow flowers with a mild, sour scent many find objectionable, thus the species name. Though grown widely outside its range (for example, in Britain and America), it is particularly susceptible to black spot.

An important rose, in as much as it is the source of yellow in modern-day hybrids, most famously 'Soleil d'Or' (R. foetida x 'Antoine Ducher'; 1900), was bred by Joseph Pernet-Ducher. One variety, Rosa foetida var. 'bicolor' , the Austrian Copper rose, has flowers with petals that are red or orange on the upper interior surface but yellow on the lower exterior surface.

Rosa foetida syns:

Austrian Briar

• Austrian Brier

• Austrian Yellow

• Capucine jaune

• Fuchsrose

• Jaune Simple

• Rosa cerea Rössig ex Redouté

• Rosa eglanteria Redouté & Thory synonym

• Rosa foetida Herrm.

• Rosa lutea Mill. synonym

• Single Yellow Sweet Brier

• Yellow Austrian Rose.

Also referenced as: R. lutea, Rosa lutea simplex, Geel Rose, Rosa Aegyptia, Rosa vulpina, Rosa lutea flore simplici, R. cerea

Hybrid Foetida, Species / Wild.

Deep yellow. Strong, unpleasant fragrance. 5 petals. Medium, single (4-8 petals), borne mostly solitary bloom form. Once-blooming spring or summer.

Arching, upright, well-branched. Small, semi-glossy, dark green foliage. 5 to 9 leaflets.

Height of 150 to 300 cm. Width of 150 cm.

Zone 3 through 9.

Tetraploid.

Described in Gerald's Herbal, 1597.

Sometimes sets hips.

Belongs to the Pimpinellifolia section (styles free, shorter than the stamens, blooms solitary, without bracts). Has doubly serrated and abaxially glandular leaflets like R. ecae and R. primula, but differs from this by its downy leaves, larger deep-yellow blooms and unpleasant fragrance.

Rosa Primula

Rosa Primula ( Primrose Rose, Rosa ecae ssp. primula (Bouleng.) A.V. Roberts, Rosa primula Boulenger, The Incense Rose)...

...is a species rose originated from Central Asia, found near Samarkand, introduced in Europe a century ago, in 1910.
Its light yellow petals are so delicate and thin, moving like butterfly wings in the breeze.
It has a unique feature in the world of roses: in the rainy days and in certain hours of a day, its leaves emanate an intense perfume of incense which can be sensed from a few meters away.
It produces solitary, cupped, single, fragrant, pale primrose-yellow flowers that are followed by spherical to inversely cone-shaped, brownish maroon hips. Also produces aromatic, dense, fern-like green leaves on slender, reddish-green stems. Most varieties grow on long canes that sometimes climb. Unfortunately, this plant is quite susceptible to a variety of diseases and pests, many of which can be controlled with good cultural practices.
Cultivation: Plant in moist but free-draining or free-draining soil in a sunny, sheltered position. Avoid planting in sites that have previously been used for growing roses.
Awards: RHS AGM (Award of Garden Merit)
Suggested uses: Beds and borders, Cottage/Informal, Flower Arranging
Soil types: Loamy, Sandy
Soil drainage: Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
Soil pH: Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Light: Full Sun
Aspect: South, East, West
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness: Hardy (H4), Tender in frost (H3)
Discovered by Frank N. Meyer (circa 1890).
Species / Wild.
Yellow to light yellow. Moderate fragrance. Small, single (4-8 petals), borne mostly solitary bloom form. Once-blooming spring or summer.
Arching, armed with thorns / prickles, bushy, spreading, upright. Small, glossy, light green, fragrant foliage. 9 to 15 leaflets.
Height of 215 cm. Width of 185 cm.
Zone 6b through 9b. Produces decorative hips.
Turkestan.
Diploid
Rosa ecae ssp. primula (Boulenger) A.V. Roberts (1977) Belongs to the section Pimpinellifoliae (styles free, shorter than the stamens, blooms solitary, without bracts). Has doubly serrated and abaxially glandular leaflets like R. ecae and R. foetida. It differs from the former by the higher number of leaflets, larger blooms and colour of hips; from the latter by its smooth leaves, higher number of leaflets, and smaller blooms.

Rosa Gallica Officinalis / Apothecary's Rose

Rosa gallica (Gallic Rose, French Rose, or Rose of Provins) is a species of rose native to southern and central Europe eastwards to Turkey and the Caucasus. The cultivar Rosa gallica officinalis is also called Apothecary's Rose.It is a deciduous shrub forming large patches of shrubbery, the stems with prickles and glandular bristles. The leaves are pinnate, with three to seven bluish-green leaflets. The flowers are clustered one to four together, single with five petals, fragrant, deep pink. The hips are globose to ovoid, 10–13 mm diameter, orange to brownish.The species is easily cultivated on well drained soil in full sun to semishade; it can survive temperatures down to −25 °C. This is possibly the oldest rose to be cultivated in Europe, being cultivated by the Greek and Romans and it was commonly used in Mediaeval gardens. It has been used for medicinal purposes ever since its birth and it is also part of the story of the War of the Roses.
It is highly disease resistant.
It serves well as erosion control on steep sites.
And it has an intense fragrance...

In the 19th century it was the most important species of rose to be cultivated, and most modern European rose cultivars have at least a small contribution from R. gallica in their ancestry.
Cultivars of the species R. gallica and hybrids close in appearance are best referred to a Cultivar Group as the Gallica Group roses.

The ancestry is usually unknown and the influence of other species can not be ruled out.
The Gallica Group roses share the vegetative characters of the species, forming low suckering shrubs.

The flowers can be single, but most commonly double or semidouble. The colours range from white (rare) to pink and deep purple. All Gallica Group roses are once flowering. They are easily cultivated.The semidouble cultivar 'Officinalis', the "Red Rose of Lancaster", is the county flower of Lancashire.

In 2004, a cultivar of the Gallica Group named 'Cardinal de Richelieu' was used as a starting point for genetic engineering to produce the first blue rose.The cultivar known as Rosa gallica forma trigintipetala or Rosa 'Trigintipetala' is considered to be a synonym of Rosa × damascena.

Syns:• Essig-Rose• Red Rose• Rosa gallica L.• Rosa rubra Lam. synonym• Rosier de FranceAlso referenced as: Rose of Miletus (Pliny), Anglica rubra, Rosa rubra Anglica, Rose commun rouge, Roth Rose, R. rubra, Rosa rubra praenestina, Rosa rubra simplex, French Rose, Rose de France (gallica, before 1554)

Deep pink. Strong fragrance. 5 to 15 petals. Large, single (4-8 petals), cluster-flowered, in small clusters, cupped bloom form. Once-blooming spring or summer.
Climbing, suckers on its own roots.
Height of 100 to 120 cm. Width of 80 to 100 cm.
Zone 4b through 8b.
Remove old canes and dead or diseased wood.
Prune after flowering is finished.
Tetraploid

Rosa Canina

Macesul - Rosa canina (lit. Dog Rose) is a variable scrambling rose species native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia.
It is a deciduous shrub normally ranging in height from 1–5 m, though sometimes it can scramble higher into the crowns of taller trees. Its stems are covered with small, sharp, hooked prickles, which aid it in climbing. The leaves are pinnate, with 5-7 leaflets. The flowers are usually pale pink, but can vary between a deep pink and white. They are 4–6 cm diameter with five petals, and mature into an oval 1.5–2 cm red-orange fruit, or hip.
The plant is high in certain antioxidants. The fruit is noted for its high vitamin C level and is used to make syrup, tea and marmalade. It has been grown or encouraged in the wild for the production of vitamin C, from its fruit (often as rose-hip syrup), especially during conditions of scarcity or during wartime. The species has also been introduced to other temperate latitudes. During World War II in the United States Rosa canina was planted in victory gardens, and can still be found growing throughout the United States, including roadsides, and in wet, sandy areas up and down coastlines.
Forms of this plant are sometimes used as stocks for the grafting or budding of cultivated varieties. The wild plant is planted as a nurse or cover crop, or stabilising plant in land reclamation and specialised landscaping schemes.
Numerous cultivars have been named, though few are common in cultivation. The cultivar Rosa canina 'Assisiensis' is the only dog rose without prickles. The hips are used as a flavouring in the Slovenian soft drink Cockta.
The botanic name is derived from the common names 'dog rose' or similar in several European languages.
It is sometimes considered that the word 'dog' has a disparaging meaning in this context, indicating 'worthless' (by comparison with cultivated garden roses) (Vedel & Lange 1960). However it also known that it was used in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to treat the bite of rabid dogs, hence the name "dog rose" may result from this. (It is also possible that the name derives from "dag," a shortening of "dagger," in reference to the long thorns of the plant.)
Other old folk names include rose briar (also spelt brier), briar rose, dogberry, sweet briar, wild briar, witches' briar, and briar hip.

In Romanian, its names is maces, pronounced 'machesh', which means "wild rose".
In Turkish, its name is kuşburnu, which translates as "bird nose."
In Swedish, its name is stenros, which translates to "stone rose."
In Norwegian, its name is steinnype, which translates to "stone hip."
In Danish, its name is hunderose, which translates as "dog rose."
In Azeri, its name is itburunu, which translates as "dog nose."
In Russian, its name is шиповник (translit: 'shipovnik'), which translates as "thorn bearer."
In Bulgarian, its name is шипка (translit: 'shipka').
In Mongolian, its name is нохойн хошуу, which translates as "dog nose."

In Hungarian, its name is vadrózsa, which translates as "wild rose."
Other names:
• Briar Rose
• Brier Bush
• Canina
• Dog Briar
• Dog Rose
• Hondsroos
• Hunds-Rose
• Rosa belgradensis Pancic synonym
• Rosa leucantha Loiseleur
• Rosa pseudoscabrata Bllocki ex R.Keller
• Rosa sarmentacea Woods synonym
• Rosa sphaerica Grenier synonym
• Rosa surculosa Woods
• White-flowered Rose

Also referenced as: Wolriechendes Dornröslein, Heckrosen, Hep tree, Rosier à fleurs blanches (syn. R. leucantha), Rosa sylvestris vulgaris flore odorato incarnato, Rosa sylvestris

Light pink to white. White to light pink to shell pink blooms. Mild fragrance. Small to medium, single (4-8 petals), borne mostly solitary, cluster-flowered bloom form. Once-blooming spring or summer.
Tall, arching, armed with thorns / prickles, upright. Medium, matte, medium green foliage. 5 to 7 leaflets.
Height of 120 to 500 cm.
UZone 6b through 9b. Can be used for understock. Vigorous. Disease susceptibility: very disease resistant.
Pentaploid
A wide-ranging species found throughout Europe, showing considerable variation in bloom and foliage color and texture. Blooms vary from white to pale pink to warm shell pink, foliage from shiny medium olive green to matte greyish green. Most distinctive are the hooked, falcate prickles that are green on new growth. Orange-red hips. Almost 400 forms and variants have been documented by taxonomists.

Rosa Glauca

Rosa glauca (Red-leaved Rose or Redleaf Rose; syn. R. rubrifolia) is a species of rose native to the mountains of central and southern Europe, from Spanish Pyrenees east to Bulgaria, and north to Germany and Poland.

Rosa glauca is a deciduous arching shrub of sparsely bristled and thorny cinnamon-coloured arching canes 1.5–3 m tall. The most distinctive feature is its leaves, which are glaucous blue-green to coppery or purplish, and covered with a waxy bloom; they are 5–10 cm long and have 5–9 leaflets. The fragile, clear pink flowers are 2.5–4 cm diameter, and are produced in clusters of two to five. The fruit is a dark red globose hip 10–15 mm diameter.

This rose was not widely grown in gardens until the end of the 19th century, when its refined wildness and beauty out of the flowering season first began to be appreciated. The flower petals fall off easily in the spray from watering hoses, as well as from wind and rain. The species is naturalised in northern Europe north of its native range, particularly in Scandinavia.
A hybrid with Rosa rugosa has been given the cultivar name 'Carmenetta'.
Syns:
• Hecht-Rose
• Red Leaf Rose
• R. ferruginea
• Rosa ferruginea Villars synonym
• Rosa glauca Pourr.
• R. majalis rubrifolia
• Rosa majalis var.rubrifolia (Vill. ex Thory) Wallr.synonym
• R. romana
• Rosa romana hort.
• R. rubrifolia
• Rosa rubrifolia Vill. synonym
• Rosier a feuilles rougeâtres
• Rubrifolia
Pink blend, white center. Moderate fragrance. 5 petals. Small to medium, single (4-8 petals), cluster-flowered bloom form. Once-blooming spring or summer.
Arching, bushy, spreading, thornless (or almost), upright. Matte foliage. 5 to 7 leaflets.
Height of 150 to 350 cm. Width of 150 cm.
Zone 2 through 9. Vigorous. Produces decorative hips. Shade tolerant. Disease susceptibility: very disease resistant.
Tetraploid
R. glauca Pourr. (1788) sets red hips...
This should not be confused with Rosa rubifolia (Erich Unmuth, Vienna Austria). R. rubifolia (R. setigera) is so named because its leaves look like those of the blackberry (genus Rubus).

Rosa Gigantea

Rosa gigantea (diploid) is a species of rose native to northeast India, northern Myanmar and southwest China (Yunnan) in the foothills of the Himalaya at 1000–1500 m altitude. As its name suggests, it is the largest species of rose, climbing 20 m or more into the crowns of other trees by means of its stout, hooked thorns, and with a trunk up to 50 cm diameter.

The flowers are white, creamy or yellow, the largest of any wild rose, 10–14 cm diameter. The hips are yellow or orange, 2.5-3.5 cm diameter, hard, and often lasting through the winter into the following spring, often still present at the same time as the next years' flowers.

Wonderful fragrance too. Mild to strong, clove, honeysuckle fragrance.

Syns:
- Rosa gigantea Collett ex Crépin
• Rosa gigantea macrocarpa
• R. macrocarpa
• Rosa macrocarpa G.Watt ex Crép. synonym
• R. odorata gigantea
• Rosa odorata var. gigantea Rehder & Wilson
• Rosa X odorata gigantea
• R. xanthocarpa• Rosa xanthocarpa G.Watt ex E.Willm. syn.

White to butter-yellow, yellow stamens. Buds - light yellow [Warm creamy to lemony white]. 5 petals. Large, single (4-8 petals), borne mostly solitary, flat bloom form. Moderate, once-blooming spring or summer. Large, long buds.

Tall, arching, climbing. Medium, glossy, light green foliage.

Height of 245 to 1525 cm. Width of 185 to 305 cm.

Zone 8 and warmer.
Very vigorous.
Benefits from winter protection in colder climates.
Flowers drop off cleanly.
Prefers warmer sites.
Shade tolerant.
Disease susceptibility: very disease resistant, very blackspot resistant, very mildew resistant, very rust resistant.
Can be grown as a climber in mild climates.
Prune lightly or not at all.

R. gigantea was collected in the Shan Hills of Burma at about 20 degrees N.latitude at an altitude of about 4000-5000 feet by General Collett.
Rosa macrocarpa was collected in Manipur State, in North east India at a higher altitude of about 6000-7000 feet and about 5 degrees further north, by Sir George Watt.
Though Sir George Watt considered R. macrocarpa to be a new species distinct from R.gigamtea of Collett, the great Belgian taxonomist, Francois Crepin considered them to be identical, after examining specimens of both. In the absence of DNA we should probably follow Crepin's observation. From the common sense point of view, it appears to [Viru] that R.macrocarpa is yellower because it grows further north and at a higher altitude, i.e. less bleaching of flower color occurs in cooler temperatures. Crepin observes that in the Shan hills district where R. gigantea grows, frosts are almost unknown, whereas when Girija [Viraragavan] and [Viru] collected R. macrocarpa in Manipur on Mount Sirohi at an altitude nearing 7000 feet. There was a fair amount of frost on the ground, in places frozen into fairly substantial lumps which could not have been merely overnight dew frozen. From the seedlings raised from the Manipur seed collected by [Viru & Girija they] noticed considerable variation in flower color especially at the bud stage. Some of the seedlings are quite a dark yellow at bud stage whereas others are just cream. This color difference does not persist when the flower opens and all the kinds are creamy yellow by the second day. "So to distinguish R.macrocarpa from R. gigantea by adopting flower color as the criterion seems to be incorrect. Pending further investigation we should perhaps consider R.macrocarpa of Manipur as only an eco -type of R. gigantea Collett. But I am hoping that the Manipur rose will prove somewhat cold hardier than the Burmese collection."

Rosa gigantea is recognized by its distinctive drooping, mahogany-colored new foliage, a characteristic it shares with Rosa chinensis var. spontanea.]
Information from Viru Viraraghavn

Intoxicating Fragranced Roses - Alec's Red

"Alec's Red"

Bred by Alexander M. (Alec) Cocker (Scotland, 1970).

Hybrid Tea.

Crimson. Strong, heavy, damask fragrance. 36 to 40 petals. Average diameter 6" - 15cm. Very large, full, cupped bloom form. Continuous (perpetual) bloom throughout the season.

Medium, armed with thorns / prickles, upright. Matte, dark green foliage.

Height of 75 to 90 cm. Width of up to 60 cm.

Parents: Fragrant Cloud and Dame de Coeur :).

It can be also a climber, discovered by Harkness (United Kingdom, 1975), red, strong fragrance, once-blooming spring or summer. As a climber, it needs a warmer climate.

Intoxicating Fragranced Roses - Kazanlik / Rosa Damascena Trigintipetala

• Rosa damascena var. trigintipetala

• Trindafil

Also referenced as: Kazanlyk, R. gallica var. damascena f. trigintipetala, Trendaphil

Introduced in Germany by Dr. Georg Dieck in 1889 as 'Rosa damascena var. trigintipetala'.

Deep pink Damask.Unknown origin (before 1612).

Pink, white undertones, ages to lighter. 30 petals. Average diameter 2" - 5 cm. Medium, double, in small clusters bloom form. Occasional repeat later in the season. Small, glandular sepals, leafy sepals buds.

Armed with thorns / prickles, bushy, well-branched. Light green foliage. 7 leaflets.Height of 5' to 8' (150 to 245 cm). Width of 4' to 6' (120 to 185 cm).Zone 4.

Vigorous. Prune lightly after flowering is finished. This rose blooms on old wood. So, don't cut it down.

Strong, centifolia fragrance. PROBABLY THE MOST FRAGRANCED ROSE OF ALL!

'Kazanlik' seems to be the same Damask-type which is also cultivated in Isparta/Turkey and Isfahan/Iran for making the famous ATTAR. Supposedly it was brought to Bulgaria by the Turkish when Bulgaria was under Ottoman domination.

Cultivated extensively in the Rose Valley (Bulgarian: Розова долина, Rozova dolina), a region in Bulgaria located just south of the Balkan Mountains and the eastern part of the lower Sredna Gora chain to the south. Geologically, it consists of two river valleys, those of the Stryama to the west and the Tundzha to the east. The total area is about 3,300 square kilometers.

This valley is famous for its rose-growing industry which have been cultivated there for centuries, and which produces 85% of the world's rose oil. The extracts are used by perfumeries all over the world.

The centre of the rose oil industry is Kazanlik, while other towns of importance include Karlovo, Sopot, Kalofer and Pavel Banya. Each year, festivals are held celebrating roses and rose oil.

The picking season lasts from May to June

. During this period, the area gives off a pleasant scent and is covered with multi-coloured flowers. The gathering process, traditionally a woman's task, requires great dexterity and patience. The flowers are carefully cut one by one and laid in willow-baskets which are then sent to the distilleries.

Check these links for more information:

http://www.rose-festival.com/

valley-roses.shtml

http://rosevalleyoils.com/

bulgaria/

http://www.brilltravel.com/our-tours-general-information/special-interest-tours/rose-festival