In the uproarious W.W. II musical Operation Mincemeat, a hit first in London, now on Broadway, and next year touring the world, a song that comes near the end of Act One lands with such gravity that the audience is stunned. Called “Dear Bill,” it’s a letter from a woman to the man she loves, who’s away at war. This isn’t poetry, just some lines of normalcy relating the news. A running theme is the roses: “They’re doing fine / I used some twine to tie them up and rein them in / I hope they’ll bloom next spring / But you’ll see that for yourself.” It’s a long letter, and it keeps returning to the roses, which are actually not doing fine. As the woman singing is not. The roses are pure Mrs. Miniver, the cheerful, stoic matron from the 1942 film of the same name, in which roses are also a running theme set against war. Roses are grown, bred, and loved in many countries, but oh how the British identify with them. The divine American model Suzy Parker met the love of her life, Bradford Dillman, while on set at England’s Pinewood Studios, where they made the W.W. II movie Circle of Deception (1960). Their marriage was long and happy, and at the very end of her life, Suzy left a note for Brad on the fridge: “Come into the garden. I want my roses to see you.” There will be myriad species of flowers at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, a beloved British four-day bacchanal of blooms, but the breaking news is “Catherine’s Rose,” a coral-pink floribunda with scent notes of Turkish delight and mango. It’s one thing to be the Princess of Wales, quite another to have an English rose named after you. —Laura Jacobs