Roses: Varieties, Care and Buying Them Well

GIFTS · GLOBAL

Roses: Varieties, Care and Buying Them Well

What determines quality, making them last, colour meanings and Valentine's pricing

Roses are the most bought cut flower and the one where price and quality diverge most sharply at certain times of year.

What determines quality

Head size, stem length, petal count and how recently they were cut. Long-stemmed roses with tight, heavy heads have been grown for longer and cost more, and they open slowly over a week rather than collapsing in three days.

Supermarket roses are frequently bred for transport rather than scent, which is why so many have none.

Making them last

Recut stems at an angle by two or three centimetres under water, strip leaves below the waterline, and use the flower food supplied. Change the water every two days and recut each time.

Keep them away from direct sun, radiators and fruit bowls, since ripening fruit releases ethylene and ages flowers quickly.

A rose whose head droops at the neck usually has an air lock — recut and stand it in deep warm water for an hour.

Colour meanings

Red for romantic love, yellow traditionally for friendship, white for sympathy and weddings, pink for gratitude. These conventions vary by country and are worth a moment's thought when sending abroad.

Valentine's pricing

Prices rise steeply for a fortnight because global demand spikes. Ordering early, choosing a mixed bouquet or sending flowers a week either side costs far less for better stems.

Sending them well

Give the recipient's phone number, check whether a signature is needed and what happens if nobody is in. Ask about allergies and cats, since lilies frequently appear in mixed arrangements and are lethal to them.

Write the card message yourself, since that is the part that is kept.

Arranging roses

Cut stems to different lengths for depth, use a vase about half to two thirds the height of the flowers, and remove thorns carefully with a stripper rather than a knife.

Growing them

A rose bush is inexpensive, flowers for years and needs sun, feeding and pruning in late winter.

Other flowers that last

Chrysanthemums, carnations, alstroemeria and lisianthus all last considerably longer than roses in a vase, and cost less. A mixed bouquet spreads the life of the arrangement.

Ask a florist what came in that week rather than specifying a variety.

Sustainability

Imported roses are grown under lights or flown in, which carries a real footprint. Seasonal, locally grown flowers cost less and last better, and a growing number of florists say where stems come from.

Compost flowers at the end and recycle the wrapping.

Alternatives

A rose plant flowers for years. Dried and preserved roses last months.

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