What You Need To Know About Red Roses For Valentine's Day
Red roses are popular year round but take on special importance at Valentine's Day. Suddenly they are everywhere. Bouquets of roses are sold by the side of the road and by salespeople hovering around restaurants. This, combined with the overflowing buckets at the grocery store, saturate a market that is deserving of a richness equivalent to its history. Favored mostly for its beauty and durability, combined with fragrance, the rose's popularity has caused an outbreak of ecologically harmful and trade-wide problems.
Flower arranger and horticulture expert Betty Miles explains the importance of careful-sourcing and following care that will result in a longer life and a clear conscience. She notes that, due to favorable climate conditions as well as cheaper labor, most long stem roses (the most popular in America) are grown in greenhouses around the world, and generally in Colombia, Ecuador and parts of Africa. There can be a big difference between the white-bucketed variety amongst conventional locations and the fresher and perhaps more local available at a credible florist. Betty goes on to say:
When sourcing flowers in person, check underneath the bud to see if petals will have been removed. This will prove the flower to be old or not as fresh, diminishing their cut-life. 'Hardening-off' is a common flower arrangement term- taking a cut flower from a garden or, later, florist, and diagonally cutting an inch off the tip of the stem then immediately placing it in water (or cutting while the stem is submerged in water). Doing these steps, along with removing the lower leaves and stems will avoid rotting and water-contamination thus, shortening the life. If not removed, the most distal part of the stem will get dried, killing the cells within the stem, rendering it inactive, and killing the flower. This can and should be repeated by the distributor, the florist and finally, the customer. Though the packet of "flower-extender" that comes with your flowers appears artificial, it is an inert and biodegradable substance (typically a formula including dextrose and bacteria-inhibitors) that will extend the life of your cut flowers.
Cut-flower-wise, sweetheart roses win for aesthetic reasons as well as the chance that they have a higher possibility of being appropriately domesticated. Look for the 25-stem bunches, which likely come from California. 20 stem bunches generally hail from Holland. Sweetheart roses are a miniature form derived from another US-based rose, the Hybrid Tea Rose, noted for its fragrance.
Though US rose greenhouses have dwindled from the hundreds to a mere thirty or so, there are a handful of rose growers in California that keep their business alive by hybridization, soil replacement (growing with mixtures of coconut and perlite) and modern hydroponics techniques. These include California Pajarosa Floral and Rose Gene Technology. We asked Betty about the potential perils of plant hybridization, she simply stated that "hybridization is neutral if not beneficial. It's simply utilizing the existing function of the plants combined with modern tools to yield heartier and more attractive combinations. Even better than cut flowers, are the heirloom bush variety, one that can be replanted-promising a longer life and increased ecological benefits. The Velvet Fragrance is a Hybrid Tea Variety that promises an aromatic fragrance and a rich and full red color. Authentically derived from the country that once hosted a war over roses, Britain. For a less conventional look that strays from the typical closed-bud-longstem, the Robusta from Germany offers a more rounded appeal and abundant bloom. In general, heirloomroses.com is a great source for the appropriate and recession-friendly bloom(s) of choosing (around $15 per bush rather than close to $50 for a dozen red roses).
www.veriflora.com
www.organicbouquet.com
www.localharvest.org
Veriflora Certified, Fair Trade Certified, Transitional, Florverde, EcoCert, Rain Forest Alliance, Fair Labor Practices, FlorEcuador
This post was contributed via Seed.com, AOL's new platform for freelance writers.
Though US rose greenhouses have dwindled from the hundreds to a mere thirty or so, there are a handful of rose growers in California that keep their business alive by hybridization, soil replacement (growing with mixtures of coconut and perlite) and modern hydroponics techniques. These include California Pajarosa Floral and Rose Gene Technology. We asked Betty about the potential perils of plant hybridization, she simply stated that "hybridization is neutral if not beneficial. It's simply utilizing the existing function of the plants combined with modern tools to yield heartier and more attractive combinations. Even better than cut flowers, are the heirloom bush variety, one that can be replanted-promising a longer life and increased ecological benefits. The Velvet Fragrance is a Hybrid Tea Variety that promises an aromatic fragrance and a rich and full red color. Authentically derived from the country that once hosted a war over roses, Britain. For a less conventional look that strays from the typical closed-bud-longstem, the Robusta from Germany offers a more rounded appeal and abundant bloom. In general, heirloomroses.com is a great source for the appropriate and recession-friendly bloom(s) of choosing (around $15 per bush rather than close to $50 for a dozen red roses).
Within a holiday that promises love and devotion, wouldn't it be rather ironic that said symbols of such be garnered under unsavory, and even, exploitative conditions? This year, avoid the conventional routes of flower-buying, heed the advice from flower experts to elongate the cut-stem life, and consider a full plant over a few cut stem.In the spirit of love, consider from whom you are truly purchasing. Here are some reliable online sources, to start ::
www.veriflora.com
www.organicbouquet.com
www.localharvest.org
In addition, here are some ecologically-considered labels that are worthy of attention:
Veriflora Certified, Fair Trade Certified, Transitional, Florverde, EcoCert, Rain Forest Alliance, Fair Labor Practices, FlorEcuador
This post was contributed via Seed.com, AOL's new platform for freelance writers.
