In praise of roses 'What's in a name? That which we call a rose
by any other name would smell as sweet'. When William
Shakespeare wrote these immortal words in Romeo and Juliet, he
suggested that all roses were the same (in respect of their
sweet smell, at least). Indeed, in Shakespeare's day, perhaps
most roses were the same, or similar. But he wasn't to know that
over 400 years of selection and breeding of roses by
horticulturalists would result in a stunning explosion of roses
in many colours, shapes and scents. But in the pursuit of
beauty, insect visitors of roses have been largely forgotten.
Many varieties of rose are now off-limits for bumblebees and
other insects, but why? As with many popular plants, it all
comes down to the breeding. Most natural versions of roses (for
example, dog rose, Rosa canina) are simple and elegant things:
they usually have just five petals, splayed out to show the
centre of the rose. The centre is where all the pollen and
nectar (bee food!) is, so these roses are perfectly