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URI Outreach Center

Roses for Valentine's Day

Plant Pro

The most popular valentine flower is the rose. According to URI Floral Arts Instructor Peggy Siligato, the cut roses sold by florists for Valentine's Day come from all over the world. On the Plant Pro, we featured RioRoses, grown in Ecuador and distributed in New England by R.J. Carbone Floral Distributors in Cranston, R.I. Other well-known brands of roses include Sunset, M&M and RosaPrima. Besides Ecuador, roses are grown in Colombia, Holland, Israel and the United States (California).

How can roses grown so far away still look fresh and beautiful for Valentine's Day? The secret lies in keeping the roses chilled from the time they are cut to the time they leave the florists. Roses that are held at 35 degrees F are essentially put to sleep. University studies show that flowers held at 35 degrees F throughout the distribution process had a vase life that was two to four times longer than flowers maintained at 50 degrees F. So, for example, RioRose precools the roses at the grower's in Ecuador, ships them to Miami on dedicated jets, processes the roses in Miami in a temperature controlled distribution center, and then ships them to Carbone's in Cranston in temperature controlled trucks or jets.

Roses are sold by stem length, ranging from 40 to 70 centimeters (16 - 28 inches). A traditional "long-stemmed" rose is 70 centimeters or 28 inches long. The longer the rose stem the more expensive the rose. This is because long stems take more time to grow and are more difficult to protect during handling and transport. Roses also are much more expensive around Valentine's Day because demand is so high. Expect to pay 2 to 4 times more than usual prices for roses during the week or two before February 14th.

The R.J. Carbone Co. and RioRoses sponsored a rose fashion show to preview the hot new rose varieties available for this Valentine's Day. If you see a variety on the list that looks interesting, ask your florist if they can order it for you. Some highlights from the show:

Charlotte is one of the most popular red roses. It has bright, velvety leaves and a long-lasting flower that opens beautifully into a star shape. It also has a large bud and high petal count.

Tineke is the number 1 selling white rose. Its bud is true white with a hint of green. The flower opens bright white and emerges fully into a large blossom. It has a large classic bud.

Anna is a spectacular light pink rose. Its color is a creamy, soft pink with dark pink tips and splashes of hot pink on the outside petals. The Anna opens fully into a large, garden-like blossom.

Virginia is in the same family as the Anna. It is creamy white with a hint of pink, with a very large bud and a high petal count.

Gold Strike is predicted to become the top selling yellow rose. It has a brilliant, rich yellow-gold color and opens the most slowly of any yellow rose. It also boasts a long vase life.

Ambiance is a lovely thornless rose. It is pale yellow with red trim and has a long vase life.

Konfetti is a yellow novelty rose. It is one of the longest lasting colored roses on the market. It is creamy golden yellow with red margins on petals and boasts a large bud and a very high petal count.

Sari is one of the orange roses that have become popular recently. Sari is a soft apricot orange color. It has a high petal count and opens fully.

Blue Curiosa is a lovely, medium lavender color with lighter outer petals. It has a beautiful fragrance and a longer vase life than other lavender roses that tend to be short-lived.

Remember that these varieties are all cut roses, not roses that you would grow in your garden. Contact your florist, not your garden center for more information. If you have any questions, give the URI Master Gardening Hotline a call - in Rhode Island 800-448-1011 or out-of-state - 401-874-2929.

Renewable Energy Siting Partnership Stakeholder Meeting #4

When: December 1, 2011, 6pm - 9pm
Where: Hazard Rooms @ URI Coastal Institute Bldg, Narragansett Bay Campus
Details: The focus of this meeting will be presentations on the acoustic impacts of wind turbines and project economics. Attendees must RSVP to Amber Neville at 401.874.6106 or amber@crc.uri.edu due to space limitations.
Directions

The meeting is open to the public, and all are welcome, as the goal is to have a diverse and well-rounded stakeholder process. A light dinner will be provided from 5:30-6pm.

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Holidays in the Park

When: December 10, 2011, 11am - 2pm
Where: Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, Providence RI
Details: Admission-free with donation of a nonperishable good to be donated to RI Food Bank

Escape from the cold outdoors and join us in celebrating the holidays! Activities will include demos on do-it- yourself decorations just in time for the holidays, exciting educational crafts for kids, live music, gifts for every gardener, a raffle and more surprises to come.

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Renewable Energy Siting Partnership (RESP) Wind Resource Assessment Lecture

When: January 24, 2012, 6pm - 7pm
Where: North Kingstown Free Library
Details: URI researchers will present their current work related to the wind resource assessment component of the Renewable Energy Siting Partnership.

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