Red Roses

By Sidra Nawed

Red roses symbolize love. They are very beautiful and have an amazing scent. In Western culture, the significance of the red rose dates back to Greek mythology and the belief that the red rose was created by Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. Legend has it that the flower grew from the ground watered with Aphrodite's tears and the blood of her ill-fated lover Adonis. I once got a pot of roses and put them in my backyard and so they started growing. In nature, the genus Rosa has some 150 species spread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from Alaska to Mexico and including northern Africa. Garden cultivation of roses began some 5,000 years ago, probably in China. Miniature roses require quite a bit of direct sun indoors in order to thrive. Provide at least 6 hours of direct sun. Southern or western exposure windows are ideal. Daytime temperatures of 70-75°F and nighttime temperatures of around 60°F would be ideal. Avoid any cold drafts indoors, but if you can provide good air circulation, this will help minimize instances of diseases that roses tend to be prone to. All roses are very pretty.