Can you think of a better way to kick off 2015 on Flirty Fleurs blog than with a Rose Color Study?!
Thank you to Mayesh Wholesale for sending these 7 beauties for us to study!!
Now I will be honest with all of you, photographing red roses is not an easy task! The individual shots were kept to a minimum because they just weren’t giving a clear picture of their differences. I think it is best if you look at the roses side-by-side to see the real difference in bloom size and color saturation – the group pictures are at the bottom of this post. I did take notes on each rose and hopefully those will help you select which red rose(s) will work best for you and your projects!
Name: Checkmate by Connectaflor
Vase Life: 14 Days. A few are trying to hang on, but for the most part they are bloomed out by day 14. – Great for retail work!
Bunch Size: 25 Stems
Origin: South America, Ecuador
Details:
Day 1- Strong stems, very easy to process with barely any thorns! Strong/heavy bloom. Very consistent roses from stem to stem, each rose needed three guard petals removed.
Day 3 – This is a BIG rose, hearty and fills out the vase. When processing and prepping for the vase I automatically do a hand-tied spiral in my hand (can’t help it) and what I noticed right away is how nicely these roses create a beautiful, full hand-tied bouquet. It’s an interesting red color, muted is a good word for it – nowhere as bright or fire engine red as some of the other roses in the study.
Day 9 – Still going strong, no drooping heads.
Day 14 – A few blooms are trying to hold on, but for the most part they are done. Impressive rose and perfect for retail shop delivery work. This one is a newer offering by Mayesh and I can see why they are happy with it!
Name: Freedom by Agronatura Roses
Vase Life: 14 Days
Bunch Size: 25 Stems
Origin: South America, Ecuador
Details:
Day 1 – Tried & True Red Rose, that’s the best description for Freedom! Easy to clean, few thorns and steady stems. A bright fire-engine red color.
Day 3 – Clean up needed to remove outer petals with botrytis. Otherwise opening nicely and a great red color.
Day 9 – 25% of blooms are drooping.
Day 14 – DONE – really good rose for retail work.
Name: Hearts by Nevado Roses
Vase Life: 9 Days
Bunch Size: 25 Stems
Origin: South America, Ecuador
Details:
Day 1 – THORNS! The thorns are so thick that my rose stripper wouldn’t work and I had to de-thorn with a knife. Timely to process, something to keep in mind when paying employees to process the roses.
Day 3 – Opening slowly, but very nicely & consistently. Hearts is a very full bloom, these 25 stems are overflowing out of the vase. A great Special Event Rose as it’ll take up a lot of room in the design and is a fun, ruffly bloom.
Day 9 – All done, all blooms are drooping. Again, a rose better suited for event work over retail delivery work. I realize it isn’t easy to tell in this picture, but Hearts by Nevado is a bit more dark red/burgundy than Wanted roses by Alexandra Farms.
Name: Red France by GreenRose
Vase Life: 14+ Days
Bunch Size: 25 Stems
Origin: South America, Ecuador
Details:
Day 1 – Not too many thorns and easy to clean. Stems are not as sturdy as the other roses in this study group. Outer guard petals need to be removed as they are bent and bruised.
Day 3 – I’m not thrilled with this rose, looks beaten, lots of petals to be removed. I had been looking forward to working with this rose as I’ve heard about it for years! It is a good fire-engine red rose.
Day 9 – Blooms are going strong, but foliage has died and needs to be removed, no blooms are drooping.
Day 14 – Ok, so Red France came back strong and is the winner of the study — The most blooms still remaining upright and good looking on Day 14. I had to eat my own words of not liking this rose the first few days, now I can see why it is so popular for retail work – long lasting rose!
Name: Sexy Red by Ecuanros
Vase Life: 12 Days
Bunch Size: 25 Stems
Origin: South America, Ecuador
Details:
Day 1 – Easy to clean, so-so on thorns with sturdy stems. Extremely consistent bloom size and shape. This one is the epitome of a Valentine Red Rose!
Day 3 – Currently my favorite – Red, ruffly & Sexy, fills in the vase and would make a gorgeous hand-tied bouquet. It’s a darker, more velvet red than some of the other red roses in the study. Again, a great pick for Valentine’s Day.
Day 9 – 20% of blooms are drooping
Day 12 – The blooms are done and drooping. I’m now a fan of Sexy Red, this was my first experience and I’m sold.
Name: Spanish Dress, grower unknown
Vase Life: 10 Days
Bunch Size: 20 Stems
Origin: South America
Details:
Day 1 – Strong, very strong stems, not too many thorns
Day 3 – lots of guard petals needed to be removed. It isn’t blowing open, but does have a neat petal shape. The outer petals are a darker red and becomes a brighter red in the center.
Day 9 – 50% drooping blooms
Day 10 – All blooms are done and drooping.
Name: Wanted by Alexandra Farms
Vase Life: 10 Days
Bunch Size: 12 Stems
Origin: South America, Colombia
Details:
Day 1 – Let’s just say it upfront, I’m a huge fan of Alexandra roses and have been for a long time. I like this rose, I like the people that grow it – they are consistent with what they grow!
Day 3 – Solid performer. Removed maybe 2 guard petals total off 12 stems. The blooms are opening up nicely. This is a fantastic rose for event work – a big garden rose which will take up space in arrangements.
Day 9 – 50% starting to droop (remember this one is best suited for event work). Wanted by Alexandra Farms is a touch more red than the Hearts by Nevado Farm.
Day 10 – Done. That’s ok, it was gorgeous all 10 days!
Details about all the roses in this study:
-The Roses were never placed in the cooler once I received them!
-The Roses were set out in the house for the course of the rose study.
-I did not use quick dip, flower food or crowning glory, or any other “helpers”. Just freshly cut stems placed in clear water.
-You’ll notice a variety in stem counts for each of these roses. When you do place an order for any of these roses I would highly suggest mentioning the actual stem count that you desire to confirm you receive the correct amount!!
A HUGE thank you to Mayesh Wholesale for providing these roses for the Red Rose Study!
Mayesh Wholesale Florist, Inc, 5401 W 104th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90045
1‐888‐4Mayesh
http://www.mayesh.com
Great post as those V-Day orders are being placed by many
I love these rose studies you do — so helpful to see side-by-side comparisons!!
First off… Happy New Year Alicia.
On the roses, please make sure that everyone knows that “Wanted” and “Hearts” are one and the same rose. Certain farms, without mentioning names, have found they can add almost a dollar to the price if it is dressed up as a “Garden Rose”.
IMHO – Red France is the absolutely one of the best Red Roses ever developed for the commercial cut-flower industry. However due to the fact it will generally only produce stems to 60cm on average, most growers have discontinued the variety, as it is not appropriate for Russia.
Alicia,
Fantastic comparison! You really did a great job showing all the roses next to each other, from the top and from the side. Terrific! We see the colors, the shapes and the comparative sizes.
Wanted and Hearts are the same rose. The breeder noticed that en Ecuador the variety had the special heart shaped center, but that some growers in Colombia got regular centers so they launched it as Hearts in Ecuador and as Wanted in Colombia. It turns out that at Alexandra Farms, we were able to get the heart shaped center! We should probably call it Hearts for that reason, however the colors are very different so we kind of like having a different name. Colombian Wanted roses are not as dark a red and have less black edging.
I also wanted to recommend that you use flower food for these tests as that is the manufacturers’ recommended care and handling. It is like shipping them refrigerated – it is what should be done for obtaining the best results with your roses.
Keep educating us Alicia! Thanks again! And thanks to Mayesh too!
Did Wanted have the same amount of thorns as Hearts? That’s the one and only thing I don’t like about Hearts…those darn thorns!
Thank you so much for these comparisons! My local wholesaler couldn’t get a lot of varieties but with companies like Mayesh, the options are much more plentiful. I’ve forgotten a lot of my education on some of the other varieties just due to non-use of the information. Having these comparisons to reference make me confident in branching out to different varieties with our special events. Your work is much appreciated!!