FFF644 - ROSA "PEACE" FOR ANZAC DAY

The Peace rose, correctly Rosa 'Madame A. Meilland', is a well-known and successful garden rose. Over one hundred million plants had been sold, as of 1992. It is a Hybrid Tea rose with large flowers of a light yellow to cream colour, slightly flushed at the petal edges with crimson-pink, being slightly fragrant also. It is hardy and vigorous and relatively resistant to disease, making it popular in gardens as well as in the floral trade. It was developed by French horticulturist Francis Meilland in the years 1935 to 1939.

When Meilland foresaw the German invasion of France he sent cuttings to friends in Italy, Turkey, Germany, and the United States to protect the new rose. It is said, that it was sent to the US on the last plane available before the German invasion, where it was safely propagated by the Conard Pyle Co. during the war.

The rose became known as "Peace" in the following way: In early 1945 Meilland wrote to Field Marshal Alan Brooke (later Viscount Alanbrooke), the principal author of the master strategy that won the Second World War, to thank him for his key part in the liberation of France and to ask if Brooke would give his name to the rose. Brooke declined saying that, though he was honoured to be asked, his name would soon be forgotten and a much better and more enduring name would be "Peace".

The adoption of the trade name "Peace" was publicly announced in the United States on 29 April 1945 by the introducers, Messrs Conard Pyle Co. This was the very day that Berlin fell, officially considered the end of the Second World War in Europe. Later that year Peace roses were given to each of the delegations at the inaugural meeting of the United Nations in San Francisco, each with a note which read: "We hope the 'Peace' rose will influence men’s thoughts for everlasting world peace".

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FFF643 - GREVILLEA

Grevillea is a diverse genus of about 360 species of evergreen flowering plants in the protea family Proteaceae, native to rainforest and more open habitats in Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Indonesia and Sulawesi. It was named in honour of Charles Francis Greville.

The species range from prostrate shrubs less than 50 cm tall to trees 35 m tall. Common names include grevillea, spider flower, silky oak, bottle brush and toothbrush plant. Closely related to the genus Hakea, the genus gives its name to the subfamily Grevilleoideae.

The brightly coloured, petal-less flowers consist of a calyx tube that splits into 4 lobes with long styles. They are good bird-attracting plants, honeyeaters in particular are common visitors. They are also used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the Dryandra Moth.

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FFF642 - 'THE LADY OF SHALOTT'

Rosa ‘Lady of Shalott’, introduced in 2007, is prized as one of the best David Austin roses, thanks to its repeat flowering, disease resistance and its beautiful apricot, cup-shaped flowers, each bearing about 60 loosely arranged petals. The leaves contrast nicely with the flowers, the new growth red-bronze turning a vibrant mid-green.The shrub is bushy with slightly arching stems.

This rose has a light tea fragrance with hints of cloves and spiced apples. It is a recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden merit of the Royal Horticultural Society. The rose was named after the Tennyson Society, which promotes the work of 19th century poet, Lord Alfred Tennyson. “The Ladyof Shalott” is a popular Tennyson ballad, written in 1832 and inspired by Arthurian legends.

This rose should be planted in full sun or partial shade, in rich, fertile well-drained soils that are adequately watered. It grows up to 120 cm tall and 100 cm wide and is perfect for beds or borders. The colour of the blooms contrast nicely with salvias, nepeta or lavender. 

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FFF641 - BOUGAINVILLEA

Bougainvillea in the Nyctaginaceae family is a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees with flower-like spring leaves near its flowers. Different authors accept between four and 18 species in the genus. They are native plants of South America from Brazil west to Perú and south to southern Argentina (Chubut Province). Bougainvillea are also known as Bugambilia (Mexico).

The vine species grow anywhere from 1 to 12 m tall, scrambling over other plants with their spiky thorns. The thorns are tipped with a black, waxy substance. They are evergreen where rainfall occurs all year, or deciduous if there is a dry season. The leaves are alternate, simple ovate-acuminate, 4–13 cm long and 2–6 cm broad. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts with the bright colours associated with the plant, including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow.

Bougainvillea glabra is sometimes referred to as "paper flower" because the bracts are thin and papery. The species here illustrated is Bougainvillea spectabilis. The first European to describe these plants was Philibert Commerçon, a botanist accompanying French Navy admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville (hence the generic name), during his voyage of circumnavigation, and first published for him by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789.

It is possible that the first European to observe these plants was Jeanne Baré, Commerçon's lover and assistant whom he sneaked on board (despite regulations) disguised as a man (and who thus became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe).

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