The Empress and Her Roses - antique roses in Texas

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Has anyone heard of Souvenir de la Malmaison?

It's a rose that we have growing in The Ferns right now - and it's one of several antique roses in Texas that is sure to fascinate the luck observer. It's a beautiful, pale pink historic rose that's a climbing variety of the Bourbon rose. It has interesting roots: Bred in 1843, it's named after Château de Malmaison, where Empress Josephine grew her storied rose garden. It was both the world's first garden devoted solely to roses and, at the time, held the largest collection of roses with 200 varieties (this was eventually surpassed a century later). Josephine's influence on roses and flowers in general is undeniable; she was the first to document the history of rose cultivation in writing and is thought to have organized the earliest rose exhibition in 1810. She's also recognized for influencing the shift toward using common language names for rose varieties, moving away from the traditional Latin-style naming system.

Why did Empress Josephine love roses so much?

Well, Joséphine had a profound interest in horticulture and aimed to cultivate the most beautiful garden in Europe. But maybe there was also something else at play. This is just speculation on my part, but the flourishing of her garden coincided with the deterioration of her marriage to Napoleon Bonaparte, an unraveling that was fueled by her inability to bear him an heir and led to their divorce in 1810. Maybe that led her to pour her heart into the garden, and to grow life where she couldn't with her husband. Who's to say? What I do know is that she loved roses and loved them until her death in 1814.

Looking at the rose, I like to imagine seeing the Empress of Roses herself, among the flowerbeds where she could finally find peace. That's a lot like what we want The Ferns to be for you.

What's your favorite rose?

Curious about antique roses in Texas?

Be sure to check out Antique Rose Emporium when you're visiting The Ferns. It is sure to delight your senses, the staff is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their gardens. Plus, it offers