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Name one flower and it would likely be the rose for many people. It has been held in fascination throughout history, a symbol of life and death, of the blood of Christ, of womanhood, of chastity and of consummation. Acclaimed horticultural historian Jennifer Potter reveals what makes the rose such a symbol for societies across the world. She looks at ancient Greece and Rome, and ranges across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, and she shows how the rose evolved into the perfection found in today’s gardens.

Potter is author of three novels and three works of non-fiction, Secret Gardens, Lost Gardens and Strange Blooms: The Curious Lives and Adventures of the John Tradescants.

‘Potter has succeeded in uncovering just why the rose has insinuated itself so tenaciously into the consciousness of every age and corner of the world.’ Kate Colquhoun, Sunday Times