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| Plant Pro |
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Roses for Valentine's Day
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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).
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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. |
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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. |
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| 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: |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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| Ambiance is a lovely thornless rose. It is pale yellow with red trim and has a long vase life. |
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| 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. |
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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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
