Throughout history roses have held a special place in the hearts of mankind. And understandably so. The rose is the epitome of beauty, but protected by thorns with a fury.

Fossils from the Oligocene Epoch (32 million years ago) have been discovered in Colorado and Oregon and show evidence that roses grew way back then. The Greek poetess Sappho proclaimed the rose to be the &uot;Queen of Flowers&uot; more than 2,500 years ago.

By 1814, Empress Josephine had an extensive rose garden at her chateau at Malmaison, near Paris. Planted in her garden were all of the species and varieties of roses known at that time. Her devotion to roses inspired Pierre-Joseph Redout\u00E9 to paint his famous color plates which are displayed in fine homes of today and appreciated by botanists and horticulturists worldwide. In addition to the artwork, botanical inscriptions were included, making these works some of the most comprehensive to date.

The American Rose Society has classified an &uot;old&uot; rose as any rose introduced before 1867. Many rosarians are not as strict in their definition and include any rose that is at least 75 years old with characteristics typical of old roses.

Many old roses, or antique roses as they are also referred to, grow to become large specimens that act more as a shrub. A hedge planting of antique roses can be spectacular with the proper selections, and plenty of space and sunshine.

Thomas Affleck, a famous nurseryman from the Miss-Lou, noted in his 1860 publication of the Southern Rural Almanac the benefits of planting a rose hedge with the species rose &uot;Cherokee.&uot; Often, this rose is thought of only as a lovely spring blooming climber with clear white petals and dark green foliage. &uot;Cherokee&uot; is also well-suited as a hedge and is easy to grow and disease resistant. If you happen to drive down U.S. 61 through St.Francisville, La., this spring be sure to look for the blooms of the &uot;Cherokee&uot; roses that have climbed the trees on the roadside.

&uot;Souvenir de la Malmaison,&uot; an exquisite repeat flowering light pink rose was introduced in 1843 after the death of Empress Josephine in 1814, and named in honor of her rose garden outside of Paris. Affleck sang the praises of this rose in 1856 saying &uot;How I envy the grower who first saw that plant bloom, the seed of which he had sown, feeling that such a gem was his!&uot; Today this Bourbon Rose remains a favorite of rosarians and, to borrow a phrase from my delightful friend Jewel, &uot;just plain dirt gardeners.&uot;

Rose gardens with specific themes are popular and fun. For example, an all red rose garden planted in the shape of a heart with roses named &uot;Bridal Pink,&uot; &uot;Heart O’ Gold,&uot; &uot;Loving Touch,&uot; &uot;Perfect Moment&uot; and &uot;Scentimental.&uot;. Of course if things don’t work out they can all be replaced with &uot;Heartbreaker,&uot; &uot;Night ‘n Day,&uot; &uot;Old Smoothie&uot; or better yet, &uot;Peace.&uot;

A Hollywood garden might be filled with &uot;Broadway,&uot; &uot;Bright Lights,&uot; &uot;Cary Grant,&uot; &uot;Bing Crosby,&uot; &uot;George Burns,&uot; &uot;Judy Garland,&uot; &uot;Elizabeth Taylor&uot; and &uot;Rosie O’Donnell.&uot;

What about an alphabetical rose garden with at least one rose representing each letter of the alphabet? How about a collection of patented roses planted in the order of the date in which they were introduced or roses named after each state? Roses that all have bi-colored blooms?

Now is the time to plant roses in the Miss-Lou. From high maintenance to low, climbers to shrubs, hybrid teas to antiques, thorned to thornless, there are so many to choose from. With so much diversity, roses will easily fit into just about any situation and surely be a beautiful and possibly historic addition to any Miss-Lou garden.

Gardening Miss-Lou Style is a weekly column written by Traci Maier of Natchez. She can be reached at 445-5181 or by e-mail at ratmaier@iamerica.net