Morning Eye Candy: A Rose of Contradictions

Posted in Around the Garden on May 21 2013, by Ann Rafalko

Rosa rugosa is one of the first roses to bloom in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. The species name comes from the Latin for “rough” in reference to the plant’s nearly-pleated leaves. It is also a tough plant, willing to grow in some pretty harsh habitats to the point of becoming a weed in places. And yet it is delicate and beautiful and smells amazing, like the finest of perfumes.

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen