Josephine de Beauharnais, (1763-1814), first wife of Napoleon I, and first Empress of France, was a passionate lover of roses. Her rose garden at the Chateau de Malmaison had almost 250 roses at the time of her death. Her goal, for the garden, had been to obtain every species of rose then known. The idea of “a Rose Garden” grew culturally from Josephine’s efforts. Read more here of the interesting details of her garden.
