The thousands of
different varieties and sizes of roses available commercially
today, all trace their heritage back to the wild roses,
and not everyone selling roses is selling the same variety
or size. Some varieties have been around for a while,
and some are newer hybrid varieties bred for improved
vase life, larger head size, colour, etc, some are even
thornless. Most commercially grown roses available to
florists today, are limited in fragrance because vase
life is prized and plants are hybridized with this in
mind. Commercial roses for cut flower use are not suitable
as garden roses and unlike garden roses, cut rose varieties
require controlled environmental conditions to grow successfully.
Another major difference in roses is the length of the
stem (drastically affecting price) together with the thickness
of the stem, generally a longer stem rose has a thicker
stem and larger head. Many roses labeled "long stem"
are actually a 30 to 40cm stem, which real florists refer
to as a short stem. Most florists use a 50 to 70cm stem
in a bouquet arrangement, which are traditionally what
we call long stem. Longer stems give vase arranged roses
a more elegant look and thicker stems are usually more
robust than the skinny stems of smaller roses. Some unscrupulous
internet relay florists,
EXAMPLE
HERE
will actually display internet pictures of fake silk roses
with beautiful large heads, however the large commissions
taken, result in the supplier florist being paid to only
supply inferior quality roses such as a cheap Indian imports.
There is no industry standard for adjectives, so florists
are free to describe them as they wish.... buyer beware!! |
 |
|
A Note on Guard Petals
Guard petals are the outermost petals on a rose,
that protect the flower bud during shipping and handling, and
later, processing by flower shops. Although these guard petals
may be aesthetically unpleasing to some customers and often
appear wrinkled or withered and dark brown or green in color,
these petals are simply part of the natural flower. As this
is a quite normal feature of many roses we normally leave these
petals on the roses for authenticity purposes, as rose buffs
do like them left on and they can be easily removed by the customer
if necessary.
|
|
|
To view our range and prices please visit
our
INDEX PAGE |
|
