A Rose for Every Nose

Roses first appeared on Earth about 56 million years ago, well before homo sapiens showed up with their fancy ideas about distilling the oil for use as perfume. That would have been around 1000 BC, when the Persians developed technology to extract the fragrance, making it the go-to ‘fume for clout-conscious kings and queens for millennia to come. The attar symbolised status and luxury, with ancient Romans in particular excelling in displays of decadent rose-scented excess. Emperor Nero was the talk of the town after he had silver pipes installed at a bacchanale to spray guests with rosewater between courses. Victorian-era painters delighted in depicting hedonistic scenes of Roman revellers wallowing in towering mounds of rose petals, like hysterical toddlers in an IKEA ball room.

Apart from signalling indulgence and romance, the rose’s truest power lies in giving pleasure. As Gertrude Stein famously wrote, “...a rose is a rose is a rose,” but from where we’re smelling, a rose is not just a rose. The syrupy, sumptuous, sensual bloom is a perfume in itself, and always recognisably rosy. But given all the facets of its distinctive fragrance, “recognisably rosy” includes smelling like clove, myrrh, lemon, raspberry, violet, apple, wine or tea…and beyond.

And if you were to check rose’s perfume report card, “plays well with others” would be one of its many attributes. Twinning rose with geranium enhances its lemony-fresh aspects, for example, while pairing it with spices highlights the wine facets, and partnering with oud foregrounds rose’s leathery side. Contributing to the wide range of rose modes (eg wild and bracing; fresh and pretty; dark and dangerous) are the personalities of the varieties themselves, from fruity Bulgarian rose and green Turkish rose, to honeyed rose centifolia and vivid Taif rose.

Cultivate your budding rose romance with this bouquet of an edit.