It is the romance of the rose, of course, that makes it so important. The gift of a rose, it is said, is a gift of love. Island roses stream over downtown fences, creep along beaches, and decorate edges of farm fields.


The first rose to grow, according to a medieval tale, sprouted in Bethlehem when an innocent maiden, accused as a witch by a spurned lover, was sentenced to be burned at the stake. But God intervened; the stake budded and the maiden stood unharmed beneath a canopy of red and white rose blossoms.

All hail the rose!