Glass Rose Bowls

Q: Were round colored glass rose bowls really used for roses in Victorian times when many were made?

A: Yes. Roses are an old-fashioned flower and they were grown in Victorian gardens in many areas of the United States. New rose plants have been hybridized to have larger, more colorful flowers, be more disease resistant, and bloom earlier or later than the old ones. But old fashioned climbing roses are still a favorite with gardeners. The rose bowl is shaped like a ball. The opening at the top turns in but does not turn out again, though it might have a small rim. The bowls are designed to hold bunches of short-stemmed heavy, large single rose blossoms. They were popular from the 1880s to the 1920s, the same time colored glass was in fashion.