What do you think is the rarest rose in the world? A visitor asked this question recently and it intrigued me so much that it has been running through my mind ever since. I mean, any rose that once existed but is now apparently lost could be considered "rare", I suppose. Should the definition of "rare" be limited to only those roses in commerce? Could you think of "rare' in terms of exotic or mythical -- like a Unicorn -- I'm thinking Blue Rose here -- or some obscure Species rose that only grows on the top of a snow-capped mountain in Tibet? I mean, how many rosarians actually visit a snow-capped mountain in Tibet anyway? I never have, so for all I know there could be a rare rose growing there.

What do you think?