Roses Named After People

You may have walked past and even gotten close enough to smell a Barbara Bush, Chevy Chase or Prince Charles without being aware of it. You may think this is impossible, but if you've ever been to a rose garden, the possibility of walking past a celebrity -- a celebrity-named rose that is -- is endless. Breeders have named hundreds of roses after famous people, real and fictional, from movie stars to entertainers and even royalty.

A long list of roses are named after female celebrities such as the Audrey Hepburn, an apple blossom pink hybrid tea rose, and the Barbra Streisand, a rich lavender and mauve hybrid tea rose. The Betty White is a blush pink to cream hybrid tea rose and the Oprah Rose, named for Oprah Winfrey, is a hybrid tea with massive ruby red blossoms. Named for the actress, the Elizabeth Taylor is a deep pink hybrid tea rose with a powerful fragrance and the Dolly Parton is a coppery orange/red hybrid tea rose. An orange and pink blend hybrid tea rose is named Ginger Rogers, a yellow to orange and scarlet floribunda rose is named Judy Garland and the Marilyn Monroe is a creamy apricot hybrid tea rose.

Some roses are named after male celebrities, such as the dark orange Bing Crosby hybrid tea rose, and the medium red hybrid tea rose, Bob Hope. An orange blend hybrid tea rose is named Cary Grant, a yellow blend floribunda rose is named George Burns and a medium pink hybrid tea rose is named after the famous "Beatle," Sir Paul McCartney.

Roses are also named after famous world leaders such as the Napoleon, a light pink old historic rose named for Napoleon Bonaparte. Roses named after American presidents are the Ronald Reagan, a red with white reverse hybrid tea rose, and the John F. Kennedy, a white blend hybrid tea rose. Roses named after Abraham Lincoln include varieties such as "President Lincoln" & "Souvenir du President," which are hybrid teas, and the "Mr. Lincoln" & "Honest Abe" miniture moss roses.

Royalty from around the world also have roses named after them, such as the Diana, Princess of Wales, a pink blend hybrid tea rose and the Caroline de Monaco, a pure white blossom hybrid tea rose named for Princess Carolineof Monaco. Shortly after his birth, Prince William of Wales had a rose named after him called Royal William, a hybrid red tea rose. His grandmother also has a rose named after her called the Queen Elizabeth, a medium pink grandiflora rose. The Mary, Queen of Scots is a white blend hybrid spinosissima rose and the Queen Nefertiti is a fragarant shrub rose with yellow flowers with brown edges.