January 24, 2003	Friday	Ziqa’ad 20, 1423

KARACHI, Jan 23: Roses are distinctive from the thousands of species of different flowers because of the fragrance and beauty that no other species have. They are labelled as unsocial for their predisposition to be happy only amongst their kind. Their love for sun and perpetual demand for extreme care in growing, tending them has made them hot headed and obdurate in the metaphorical sense and have thus made themselves the sweet-hearts of kings, emperors and queens.

Fossils of 20 million years old in the wild prove they existed in the prehistoric times. The earliest record of roses being grown is in the 6th Century B.C. in China where they grew a whole range of species, varieties and new forms. The damask roses (the fragrant) were used to make rose water in Arabia or Persia as back as 3000 years ago, and as a class are alluded to as the index of civilization.

Now the hybrids and varieties are over five thousands, all over the world. That is why they are adored, admired and named after famous people or horticulturists who developed them. There are names like King’s ransom, apricot silk, French lace, white masterpiece, summer sunshine, royal sunset, folklore, crimson glory, madam violet, crimson tide, ivory tower, remember me, ruby wedding, sweet heart, congratulations, forgotten dreams, intrigue, sheer bliss and so on.

Mughal Park in the centre of the zoological gardens has the distinction of growing them year after years in great profusion and varieties to lend grave and decor they are associated with. Here is a view of the best in bloom and elegance.

Qazi Mansoor, the director, has locked this exclusive corner not from the fear of people breaking plants but to preserve the beauty roses impart and the joy they give to visitors, who can see them from as close as 10 feet.—Dr. A. A. Quraishy