How does one write an introduction to the rose, supreme among flowers and reigning queen in the magical world of blossoming life? For centuries the mystery and glory of the rose, its perfection of form, fragrance, and colour, has been sung by poets, hymned by seer and saint, and treasured by those who love flowers and gardens. It is the mystical rose, the symbol of love on the earthly plane and, in the true language of the flowers, its spiritual significance is "Love for the Divine".I have been told that from pollination to seed to flower takes many years. Some experts have said seven years. Think of the patience required, the love that waits for the first petal to appear and the discipline of the hybridizers in their collaboration with Nature.In this volume we read the sayings through centuries, of poets and artists, writers and gardeners all paying homage to the rose. It is a collection of quotations amassed over a period of more than thirty years.Numerous photos of roses taken primarily by the author and some from friends who grow and cherish this symbol of love are included along with a few non-copyrighted photos from the internet by photographers who have captured the inner essence of the rose in all its beauty. I shall ever be grateful to those few unnamed who have seen a vision of divine beauty, caught it and shared it with the world.