Related Articles
By David Hartwig
A set of 10 stamps in a Feb. 26 issue from Great Britain’s Royal Mail features watercolor paintings of 10 different varieties of roses.
The stamps are presented in two horizontal se-tenant (side-by-side) strips of five, with the stamps in one strip valued at the first-class rate (currently £1.70) and the stamps in the other valued at the second-class rate (currently 87 pence).
Rather than presenting a random assortment of attractive blooms, Royal Mail’s Roses issue traces the flower’s evolution from wild species to the modern varieties created by pioneering British rose breeder David Austin (1926–2018), whose 100th birth anniversary fell Feb. 16.
Two of the species captured on stamps in this issue represent Britain’s native wild species: the dog rose, found in hedgerows and woodland scrub throughout Britain, and the field rose, which inhabits south and southwest England. Wild rose varieties typically bear blossoms with only five petals, much fewer than the showier blooms in modern varieties.
Varieties of roses such as ‘Versicolor’ and ‘Charles de Mills’ represent those that have been cultivated in England for centuries and that bloom just once in early summer. The Romans may have introduced early gallica roses, ancestors of varieties such as ‘Versicolor,’ which is native to southern Europe.
Around the mid-1700s, roses from China arrived in Europe and changed the whole landscape of rose cultivation. Among the many improved qualities of these Chinese roses were the capacity to bloom throughout the season.
The introduction of these improved roses led to a rapid increase in the number of rose classes. One such class, the hybrid teas, mark the beginning of what we consider to be modern roses and remain the most popular garden roses today.
Hybrid teas and other modern classics make up five of the species shown in the Feb. 26 issue: ‘Peace,’ bred in the 1930s and marketed during World War II; ‘Queen Elizabeth,’ introduced in 1954 and voted the world’s favorite rose in 1979; ‘Just Joey,’ voted the world’s favorite rose in 1994; ‘Etoile de Hollande,’ and ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk.’
Celebrated rose breeder David Austin revolutionized modern rose cultivation by combining the fragrance and old-fashioned beauty of historic varieties with the repeat blooming of these modern hybrids. His first success, ‘Constance Spry’ (1961), appears on one of the stamps as the foundation of the English Roses.
The Feb. 26 issue marks Austin’s 100th birth anniversary and comes 35 years after a set of five rose stamps issued in 1991 (Scott 1382-1386) and 50 years after a 1976 set of four stamps marking the 100th anniversary of the Royal National Rose Society (786-789).
The Feb. 26 Roses stamps were designed by Charlie Smith Design using illustrations from botanical watercolor artist Marie Burke, whose work can be seen online at https://marie-burke.pixels.com.
The stamps were printed by Cartor Security Printers by lithography and measure 35 millimeters by 37mm with perforations gauge 14.5 by 14.5.
Each of the two horizontal se-tenant strips is available in sheets of 50 stamps (sold in panes of 25 at most postal outlets).
A presentation pack included with the issue contains all 10 stamps along with information on the origins and evolution of roses written by horticultural historian Jennifer Potter.
Royal Mail offers other related materials along with the stamps, including first-day covers and postcards. The first-day covers have two available postmarks.
A Tallents House postmark shows a rose growing against a trellis, and the alternate postmark showing wild roses is from Rose, a hamlet in the civil parish of Truro, Cornwall, England.
Additionally, a collector’s sheet with 10 stamps is available. Each stamp on the collector’s sheet is paired with a label showing a photograph of the rose variety featured on the stamp.
The stamps and other related materials can be ordered from Royal Mail’s website at www.royalmail.com/roses. In addition to the website, ordering information also is available from Royal Mail, Tallents House, 21 S. Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB, Scotland.
Connect with Linn’s Stamp News:
Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
