Top Secret

I wonder, does anyone recognise a link between the following: Gwent, Christian Dior, Firecracker, Seagull and Woman's Hour? I have a feeling the green-fingered among you may see the connection, but if I add Tea, Champagne Moment, Double Delight, Gardener's Joy and Ena Harkness to the list, the link will be more obvious; they are all rose varieties. There are over a hundred species of rose and thousands of cultivars and hybrids.

Well known as a symbol for beauty and love, the rose is also associated with secrecy. The Latin phrase sub rosa, 'under the rose', is used in English to denote confidentiality. The ceilings of Roman banquet rooms were often decorated with paintings of roses, as a reminder to guests that anything said under the influence of wine (sub vino) should also remain sub rosa. Similarly in the Middle Ages, a rose suspended from the ceiling of a council chamber pledged all those present to secrecy.