A Rose for Peace

The story of the world’s most famous and beloved hybrid tea rose is an inspiring tale of determination and resilience. It begins with a rather modest rose growing family in Lyon, France. The Meillands were second- and third-generation rose growers with an established reputation for creating beautiful new roses. In 1934, as usual, the Meillands had made many crossbreedings that ultimately yielded about 800 new seedlings. In the summer of 1935 began the arduous task of winnowing these 800 new rose seedlings down to the 50 most promising. At this point, none of these seedlings looked outstanding, including one seedling in the corner of the trial beds that had just made the cut with only a slight hint of potential. Its number was 3-35-40.

Four years later, in June 1939, there were to be some important national and international conferences of professional rose growers held in France. The Meillands thought this would be an excellent opportunity to show off their new creations to their best clients and friends in the rose industry. So on a lovely June day in 1939, a small group of international rosarians arrived at the nursery of Meilland and Son to review these new roses. One rose (number 3-35-40) had the most handsome buds, which had opened slowly in the warm June sun into generous blooms of ivory and pale gold to golden-yellow, fringed with a delicate pink. The luminous colors seemed to vary from hour to hour; it was enchanting to watch these unique pink-edged blooms as they blossomed on strong stems with an attractive, vigorous glossy-green bush beneath it. This beauty had become by far the queen of all the new roses. The day ended with a festive dinner among friends of all nationalities. The talk was all of roses – for that brief moment they were able to forget about the impending war.

It was their German rose grower friend who spoke for all the guests in thanking the Meillands for such a happy and interesting day. Then, with a face betraying great emotion, he expressed the heartfelt hope that next year they might meet again under a peaceful blue sky among the roses. But three months later Hitler’s armies roared into Poland and WWII had begun.

With the start of the war, over 200,000 roses were destroyed to make room for vegetable growing for the war effort. The Meillands kept only enough roses to keep their business alive. Just before normal communications in Europe were cut off, they sent out three parcels containing seedling no. 3-35-40. One was sent to a rose grower friend in Italy and another to their friend in Germany whom they’d met at the conference. The third seedling took a different course out of France: On a gray November day in 1939, the American Consul in Lyon agreed to take a small parcel for a friend. The parcel was addressed to Robert Pyle in Pennsylvania – it left on the very last clipper to fly from France to America.

The war was hard on the Meilland family, but still hopeful, they continued to plan for the future. The family had unanimously decided to name seedling no. 3-35-40 Madame A. Meilland, because she had worked so hard to keep her family intact through WWI.

Wartime communications were poor, but word eventually trickled through that their consignment of no. 3-35-40 had made it to their friend in Germany. And, in spite of all the difficulties, he had been able to grow it in his own garden. He also was so enamored with this rose that he had given it a name: Gloria Dei (Glory be to God). Then more news came that the Italian shipment had also made its way through, and it too had proven to be an outstanding rose. There it was given the happiest of Italian names: Gioia! (Joy!)

Unfortunately no news had come from their friend Robert Pyle in America. What they didn’t know was that Mr. Pyle had also received his precious package and that he, too, had fallen in love with this rose. Pyle quickly propagated no. 3-35-40 and sent samples to professional rose growers throughout the United States. Across America, it was winning the hearts of rose growers everywhere. With the war still raging in France and no way for Mr. Pyle to communicate, or even to know if the Meillands were still alive, he consulted with the other eminent American rose growers (including Jackson & Perkins) and drafted this statement:

“We are persuaded that this greatest new rose of our time should be named for the world’s greatest desire: PEACE…. We believe that this rose is destined to live on as a classic in our grandchildren’s gardens and for generations to come. We would use the word Peace to preserve the knowledge that we have gained the hard way – that peace is increasingly essential to all mankind, to be treasured with greater wisdom, watchfulness, and foresight than the human race has so far been able to maintain…. Towards that end, with our hopes for the future, we dedicate this lovely new rose to: PEACE.”

On a sunny Sunday, April 29, 1945, before a great assembly of the American Rose Society (ARS) in Pasadena, two white doves were set free and soared high into the blue California sky as seedling no. 3-35-40 was given its American name, Peace. Of great coincidence, considering that the ARS conference had been scheduled months in advance, on this same day Berlin fell. Later, on the very day that the Peace Rose was awarded All-America status, the war with Japan ended! And, at the first meeting of the newly formed United Nations in San Francisco, all 49 delegates were each greeted by a vase of this new rose in their rooms with this message from the ARS: “This is the rose ‘Peace’ which received its name on the day Berlin fell. May it help to move all men of goodwill to strive for Peace on Earth for all mankind.”

The Peace Rose is now the most widely grown rose in the world.