The rose has long held its place as queen of flowers; it has been the inspiration of poets, the symbol of Christian virtues, the badge of kings and the flower of love. Aristotle and Virgil wrote of the virtues of the rose; Roman warriors crowned themselves with garlands of roses during their feasts and bathed in rose water; and Queen Elizabeth I adopted the Tudor Rose as her emblem. It has remained the emblem of England ever since. This collection includes many classic pieces on the rose by celebrated gardening writers such as Gertrude Jekyll and Vita Sackville-West from England, and Katharine S. White and Louise Beebe Wilder in the States. Also included are verses by some of our best-loved poets such as Shakespeare, Shelley and Keats. The text extracts are accompanied by over fifty period paintings, dating from the sixteenth century to the present day. Bound in cloth, Sweet Scented Rose is presented in a slipcase, and the endpapers are scented with the delicate and romantic fragrance of Penhaligon's Elisabethan Rose.