The History Of The Peace Rose

PEACE
Hybrid Tea. 3ft-5ft. 1939​

This beautiful and outstanding Hybrid Tea is probably the most famous rose in the world. To date it has sold well over one hundred million plants world wide and is without a doubt the most successful garden rose of all time, and has often been given the title ‘The Rose Of The Century’​

The huge opulent blooms are a delicious blend of colours. The petals are a lovely lemony yellow and edged with pure cerise pink that deepens and spreads with maturity. The perfect blooms form a classic hybrid shape and the blooms can be as large as 5-6 inches (15cms) across. Flower production is extremely lavish and the blooms last a remarkably long time, either on the plant , or when cut and put in water.
The growth is strong and healthy with large glossy green foliage and is a very easy to grow variety. In some areas is has good disease resistance, but in damp conditions it does tend to get a bit of black spot. However that can easily be kept under control with spraying and a bit of TLC. The perfume is not powerful but does have an interesting fruity fragrance. ‘Peace’ has also been used in many breeding programmes around the world, and it is probably true to say that most of our modern roses are descended in some way from ‘Peace’​

The history of ‘Peace’ and how it came about is a fascinating story which is well worth telling.
In 1935 the French rose breeder Francis Meilland chose fifty seedlings from his seed beds. One of which was labelled 3-35-40. Over the next few years Francis watched its development with interest and planned to launch the new rose as ‘Madame Antoine Meilland’.
However a few months later Hitler invaded France and the future of the rose nursery looked dire. To ensure that the new rose was not lost forever Francis managed to get three parcels of budwood out of the country, one of which was smuggled out in a diplomatic bag on the last plane out of France. The budwood was sent to another rose breeder, Robert Pyle in Pennsylvania USA
Over the next few years Francis launched his new rose in France as ‘Madame Antoine Meilland’. He was unaware that some of the budwwod had reached Germany and Italy and the rose was being sold under different names. In Germany is was called ’Gloria Dei’ (Lain for Glory Of God) . And in Italy is was being sold as ‘Gioia’ (Joy) Francis had not had any word from America and had no idea the fate of his rose over there.
It was not until the liberation of France in 1944 that Francis finally heard from Robert Pyle that the rose had survived the war and was being grown very successfully .
In the meantime Francis had decided to change the name of the rose. He wrote to Field Marshal Alan Brooke to thank him for his part in the liberation of France, and to ask him if he would give his name to the rose. The Field Marshal declined stating that a far more fitting name would be ‘PEACE’

The new name ‘PEACE’ was publicly announced in America by Robert Pyle on the 29th April 1945 , the very day that Berlin fell and was officially considered the end of the Second World War in Europe.
Towards the end of 1945 ‘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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The rose sold in its millions around the world, and the Meilland family were due to make a fortune out of the royalties that ‘Peace’ would generate. As an extra thank you from Robert Pyle he presented them with a brand new 1946 Chevrolet Sedan.​

Francis Meilland died in 1958 , but the family continue to breed roses and is still one of the most successful and highly revered rose dynasty’s in the world today
After ‘Peace’ became so well known around the world, Francis wrote in his diary: “How strange to think that all these millions of rose bushes sprang from one tiny seed no bigger than the head of a pin, a seed which we might so easily have overlooked, or neglected in a moment of inattention.”

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AWARDS​

Portland Gold Medal 1944.​

All American Rose Selection 1946​

American Rose Socity Gold Medal 1947​

National Rose Society Gold Medal 1947​

The Hague Golden Rose 1965​

World Federation Of Rose Societies, Hall Of Fame.​

World’s Favourite Rose 1976​

Royal Horticultural Society Award Of Garden Merit 1993​

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‘Peace’ was voted the World’s Favourite Rose in 1976 by the World Federation Of Rose Societies. The Federation also entered the rose into the Society’s Rose Hall Of Fame in 1976 an honour shared with just 13 other roses.​

 

Good morning Mum and Loli its a pleasure and many thanks for your lovely posts

 

Good afternoon Angelina and thank you for your post it is very much appreciated my friend

 

Good morning Harry many thanks for your great comments my friend.

 

Hi Freddy you are most welcome my friend,its definitively still Woo I just love that name almost as much as I love Roses its to late now Freddy we are both known locally as Mr and Mrs Woo

 

The story of the ‘Peace’ rose is one that can be told over and over again because it encapsulates everything that we hold dear in roses – drama, love and greatness of spirit. This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the naming of this enduring rose that remains an excellent garden rose, and a symbol of our desire for that ever-elusive peace. The creation of ‘Peace’ was beautifully chronicled in Antonia Ridge’s book ‘For Love of a Rose’ and it was something of a miracle that the rose ever saw the light of day.

In 1935, the French rose breeder, Francis Meilland, the third generation in a family of rose growers near Lyon, selected 50 ‘promising’ seedlings from his seedbeds. One was tagged 3 – 35 – 40 and over the next four years Francis and his father, Papa Meilland, watched its development with interest. In spite of war clouds gathering, the unnamed rose was introduced to friends and professional rose growers who gave it an enthusiastic ‘thumbs up’. But three months later Hitler invaded France and, with the nursery under threat of destruction, three parcels of budwood were hastily sent out of France, one of which was smuggled out in the diplomatic bag to America.

For the duration of the war the Meilland family had no idea whether any of the budwood had survived. In America their agent planted the rose in his own trial beds and gave it to other rose growers for testing in all the climatic zones throughout the United States. The rose did so well that it was decided to release it in the United States and thousands of plants were propagated. Although the war was still raging in Europe, the launch date was set for 29 April 1945, in Pasadena, California.

On the same day that two doves were released into the American sky to symbolise the naming of the rose, Berlin fell and a truce was declared. It was sheer coincidence. In naming the rose, this simple statement was read: “ We are persuaded that this greatest new rose of our time should be named for the world’s greatest desire: ‘PEACE’.”

‘Peace’ went on to receive the All American Award for roses on the day that the war in Japan came to an end. On May 8, 1945, when Germany signed its surrender, the 49 delegates who met to form the United Nations were each presented with a bloom of ‘Peace’ and a message of peace from the Secretary of the American Rose Society.

What is so touching about the story of ‘Peace’ is that back in France, the rose had been named ‘Madame Antoine Meilland’ in memory of Claudia Dubreuil, the wife of Antoine Meilland and mother of Francis. She had been the heart and mainstay of the Meilland family and died tragically young from cancer. At the same time news coming back from Germany and Italy where other budwood had been sent, revealed that in Italy the rose was called ‘Gioia’ (Joy) and in Germany, ‘Gloria Dei’ (Glory of God). For the family, all the names captured the qualities that they loved in Claudia.

The name ‘Peace’ seems to have outlasted all the others. The timing of its launch was perfect and it struck such a chord that within nine years some 30 million ‘Peace’ rose bushes were flowering around the world. But it wasn’t because of sentiment alone. ‘Peace’ truly was a superlative rose, superior by far to the roses before it in terms of vigour, hardiness, and the long lasting ability of its blooms. The colour was also magnificent, a pale, golden yellow deepening to red along the petal edges.

Its contribution to the rose world has been immeasurable. Because of its vigour and dependability, ‘Peace’ has been used in breeding programmes across the world. It is recorded that ‘Peace’ is the ‘mother’ in 150 varieties and the ‘father’ in a further 180 varieties. There would be many more if breeders always declared the parentage of new releases. Indeed it is probably safe to say that most of our modern roses are descended in some way from ‘Peace’. In South Africa a few of the great garden roses that have ‘Peace’ in their lineage are: ‘Double Delight’, ‘Casanova’, ‘Blue Moon’, ‘Soaring Wings’, and ‘Electron’.

‘Peace’ also breathed new life into the gardening world, which sorely needed reviving after the war. The huge amount of publicity it received internationally made people excited about growing roses again. I was told that in South Africa it was in every public park and the ‘must have’ variety for every garden. Because it grew so well and so easily, people were not afraid to try their hand at other roses and so the rose industry in this country took off, once again.

Although new varieties, like ‘Iceberg’ have become even more popular, ‘Peace’ is still a good garden rose with glossy green leaves and well shaped blooms that are slightly lighter than their European counterparts because of our bright South African sunlight. I recommend planting it with ‘Rudi Neitz’, which is a taller hybrid tea rose, more upright in growth, with fewer thorns and a deeper gold to red colouring that equals that of ‘Peace’ in Europe. A grouping of three ‘Rudi Neitz’ at the back and four or five ‘Peace’ in front makes a beautiful bed.

Francis Meilland died in 1958 but his son Alain and daughter Michelle and their children continue the Meilland tradition of breeding roses. After ‘Peace’ became so well known, Francis wrote in his diary: “How strange to think that all these millions of rose buses sprang from one tiny seed no bigger than the head of a pin, a seed which we might so easily have overlooked, or neglected in a moment of inattention.”

That’s the miracle of the rose!