People have been passionate about roses for centuries. The ancient Romans celebrated their annual rose festival (the Rosalia) in late May, but they reveled in roses all year round—even importing blooms from Egypt. They wore rose garlands, rested on rose-petal pillows, hung smelling-bags of rose petals around their necks, filled fountains with rose-water, and used the petals and hips in cosmetics, foods, drinks, and medicines. The emperor Nero (who was also passionate about his fiddle) once had a beach strewn with roses so he could walk on it.

You can learn how to care for your roses from Rose Basics: A Step-by-Step Guide to Growing, Training, and General Care by Amanda Beales (Sterling Publications, 1999). If it's antique roses that fascinate you, you can obtain a catalog for $5 from The Antique Rose Emporium, 9300 Lueckemeyer Rd, Brenham TX 77833, 800-441-0002, email. To learn how roses were used as herbs, read Rose Recipes from Olden Times, by Eleanour Sinclair Rohde (a Dover reprint).