ROSES, ROSES, ROSES
Posted on 20 May 2020
ROSES, ROSES, ROSES
Ah yes, the most commonly sought-after flower of all time, both within and outside of the wedding space. Roses have forever been declared the most beautiful and most elegant flower, symbolising love and beauty and fairy tale endings – such as the rose depicted in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
But did you know that there isn’t just one, or even just a handful of different kinds of roses? There are in fact around 120 different roses that are available for consumers to purchase. Of course, within these different types of roses there are roses of differing price points. The price can be affected by many aspects of the flower; for example, the size of the bud, the handling of the flower (experienced florists sell flowers at a higher price, because they tend to be more careful with the flowers, therefore resulting in less bruising and longer lasting flowers), whether or not the flower has a fragrance, flower availability throughout the year, etc. Below is a shortlist of the most popular rose varieties.
African Roses:
As suggested by its name, African roses originate in the continent of Africa. African roses tend to have a relatively smaller bud; about half the size of a fist. Whilst this variety of rose does not have a fragrance, they come in a huge assortment of colours, from your classic whites and reds, to a gradient of different pinks, oranges, yellows, and many many more.
Ecuadorian Roses:
Ecuadorian roses originate from Ecuador (surprise!). These roses have the largest buds, with regards to the most common varieties of roses. They also carry the beautiful fragrance one would associate with roses, however as one would expect, these bonuses come at a price (quite literally) – Ecuadorian roses are the most expensive out of the most common rose varieties. They also come in a wide variety of colours so you are likely to find a colour which does the trick for you, provided they are stocked by your local florist.
Spray Roses:
These roses have smaller buds, but there are a few per stem as opposed to standard roses which have one bud per stem. The stems sprout into several smaller branches, giving the effect of the roses being ‘sprayed’ forth from this stem, hence the name ‘spray roses’. Again, these come in a wide variety of colours.
Peony Roses:
Peonies are the most commonly sought-after rose of the premium variety. They only bloom (in Australia), between the middle of October to the start of Summer, petering out in mid-December. Peonies are recognisable by their distinctive centres, which have a ‘folded’ look, giving the impression of a fuller flower and bud. These generally come in an assortment of whites to creams, and pinks to purples.
Grandiflora Roses:
These flowers look very similar to the peony, and are often used as a substitute due to the steep price point of the peony rose. They look less ‘bunched’ within the bud, giving them a slightly less ‘dense’ or ‘full’ look, but are otherwise almost indistinguishable from the peony rose. They bloom in the summer, and the colours tend to be bolder than those of the peony roses.
David Austin Roses:
These flowers are also of the premium variety, and are often mistaken as peonies. However, David Austin rose buds are about one third the size of a peony bud. They too have the folded, ‘ruffled’ centres like those of the peony, and are used mostly in bouquets due to their delicate nature.
Ranunculus:
The Ranunculus is also another flower which is regularly mistaken as a peony, however they too, like David Austin roses, have slightly smaller buds and a less folded centre. They bloom slightly earlier than the David Austins and peonies, starting in Spring as opposed to Summer.
Armed with this knowledge, hopefully the rose choosing process will be made slightly easier. Just remember as a rule of thumb, if you aren't too fussed about the kind of rose, stick with the standard rose varieties such as the African or Ecuadorian. If you're looking to splash out a little, and provided your wedding is around late Spring or early Summer, you might want peonies or their several mini-me lookalikes.
- Hailey Paige Flowers xx
