spray rose - Super Floral Retailing

cut flower of the month
spray rose
BOTANICAL NAME
Rosa (ROW-zuh)
COMMON NAME
Spray rose
‘Glorious’
Interplant Roses B.V.
vase-life extenders
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION Unpack and
process spray roses immediately upon
arrival because they can easily become
water stressed. Once they are dehydrated,
these flowers have a hard time recuperating because one stem has to supply multiple buds with water and nutrients.
FOLIAGE/THORN REMOVAL Remove all
packaging materials and stem bindings as
well as leaves and thorns that would fall
below the water line in storage containers.
Remove only lower leaves because foliage
is beneficial to the flowers and increases
vase life. If possible, leave a minimum of
four sets of leaves on each stem. Gently
remove foliage and any thorn tips with a
plastic stripper or a soft cloth, being careful to not puncture or strip away bark; this
impedes water uptake and allows
microorganisms to enter the flowers’ vascular system, resulting in bent neck and
other maladies.
HYDRATION AND NUTRITION Recut the ends
of spray rose stems on an angle with a
sharp sterile blade, removing at least 1
inch of stem. You can cut stems in air if
Super Floral Retailing has created this page
for the education of store-level employees.
To download a reprintable PDF, please go
to www.superfloralretailing.com and select
“Current Issue.”
DESCRIPTION
Spray roses have from three to 10 small
blooms per stem, with an average of five.
The blooms appear on short (2-to-10inch-long) lateral stems, called pedicels,
that branch off a main stem. There is one
bloom per pedicel.
Blossoms can range from the traditional cup-shaped or tulip-shaped rose
forms to the peonylike or cabbagelike
“garden” rose types. Blooms can be singles (four to eight petals), semidoubles
(12 to 25 petals) or doubles (more than
25 petals).
Spray rose stems, which often are
thornless or almost thornless, especially
the lower portions, typically range in
length from 18 to 24 inches.
FRAGRANCE
Scents vary from none to spicy, fruity and citrusy.
COLORS
These flowers are available in virtually
every hue except true blue as well as bicolors and tricolors.
VASE LIFE
Longevity varies among cultivars, usually
from four to 12 days, and is highly
dependent on their growing environment;
how they’re shipped, handled and cared
for; and their maturity at the time of purchase. Spray roses can be slow to open,
but with proper care, all buds should open
at intervals, providing longer vase life than
single-bloom roses.
AVAILABILITY
Spray roses are available year-round.
you place them into hydrating and nutrient solutions quickly after making the
cuts, or you can cut stems under water as
long as you change the water frequently to
keep it free of bacteria.
Immediately after cutting the stems,
dip or place the stem ends into a hydration solution, then into sterile containers
with warm (100 F to 110 F) properly proportioned flower-food solution formulated specifically for cut roses. When mixed
and used properly, rose food nearly doubles the vase life of cut roses, reduces bent
neck, maintains color, and prevents leaf
and petal drop.
REFRIGERATION Immediately after processing, place spray roses into a floral cooler at
33 F to 35 F, with 85 percent to 90 percent
humidity, and allow them to hydrate for at
least two hours before selling or designing
with them. Except for design time, keep
these flowers refrigerated until they’re
sold or delivered.
ETHYLENE SENSITIVITY Some varieties are
sensitive to ethylene gas (premature petal
drop and/or malformed blooms are the
effects) while others are not; however, all
spray roses should be treated with an antiethylene agent at the grower or during
shipping, especially if they will spend any
time around fruit and other produce,
which can generate significant amounts of
the harmful gas.
CARE EXTRAS Change the rose-food solution and recut rose stems every other day.
To maximize vase life of spray roses
arranged in floral foam, thoroughly soak
the foam in properly proportioned rosefood solution (if the foam does not already
contain nutrients) before placing the foam
into a container.
CONSUMER ACTION Provide customers and
recipients with instructions on how to
care for their spray roses as well as
enough packets of rose food to last the life
of their flowers.
‘Splash Sensation’
Olij Breeding, B.V.
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cut flower of the month
buying tips
n Purchase spray roses only from reputable
growers and wholesalers who consistently
deliver high-quality flowers.
n Make sure the roses are treated with a
hydration solution at the grower, especially if
they are shipped dry, and with an ethylene
inhibitor at the grower or during shipping.
n Learn which varieties open best and last
longest, and purchase only those varieties.
n Order/select spray roses by variety name,
but keep in mind that roses of one variety can
differ vastly in color, size and performance
based on the region and environment in
which they are grown.
n Purchase spray roses that are primarily in
bud stage; however, because there are multiple blooms per stem, it’s OK, and often
unavoidable, to purchase bunches with some
fully open blooms. Just make sure the flower
buds and stems are well hydrated and firm
and that foliage is a healthy green, and examine buds and foliage for mold, rot, disease or
other damage.
‘Brilliant Stars Orange’
‘Babe’
‘Orange Bouquet’
‘Fire Flash’
Esmeralda Breeding and
Biotechnology
Interplant Roses B.V.
Kordes Roses International B.V.
Interplant Roses B.V.
‘Fiesta Bubbles’
‘Brilliant Stars Coral’
‘Abeba’
‘Orange Bubbles’
De Ruiter Innovations, B.V.
Esmeralda Breeding and
Biotechnology
Interplant Roses B.V.
De Ruiter Innovations, B.V.
‘Juice Sensation’
‘Lovely Bubbles’
‘Irischka’
‘Salinero’
Olij Breeding, B.V.
De Ruiter Innovations, B.V.
Jan Spek Rozen B.V.
Interplant Roses B.V.
‘Pavlova’ Pépinières et
Roseraies Georges Delbard (SAS)
‘Super Bubbles’
‘Snowflake’
‘Alabaster’
De Ruiter Innovations, B.V.
Interplant Roses B.V.
Rosen-Tantau KG
‘Brilliant Stars White’
‘Blanchette’
‘White Rosever’
‘Luvianna’
Esmeralda Breeding and
Biotechnology
Rosen-Tantau KG
NIRP International
Interplant Roses B.V.
‘Vanilla Bouquet’
‘Catalina’
‘Creamy Eden’
‘Cream Bouquet’
Kordes Roses International B.V.
Olij Breeding, B.V.
Meilland International
Kordes Roses International B.V.
Do you need a quick
and easy reference for
information about
other cut flowers?
Designed to fit on your countertop, desk or design
bench, Flower Flip — A Guide to 50 Favorite
Flowers provides information on care, vase life,
availability, pronunciation and more in a handy 5.5”
x 6.5” flip-chart format.
FRFB1010 $12.95
Order Online
To order, visit www.superfloralretailing.com and click on
“Bookstore,” or call (800) 355-8086. (To discuss quantity
purchases and pricing, ask for Mary Lou Clark, ext. 12.)
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‘Brilliant Stars Lemon’
‘Canary Mikado’
‘Yellow Babe’
‘Marisa’
‘Brilliant Stars Yellow’
‘Suntan’
Esmeralda Breeding and
Biotechnology
Rosen-Tantau KG
Interplant Roses B.V.
Interplant Roses B.V.
Esmeralda Breeding and
Biotechnology
Interplant Roses B.V.
‘Prana’
‘Brilliant Stars Peach’
‘Sweet Sara’
‘Bombastic’
‘Lovely Rokoko’
‘Elegant Rosever’
Interplant Roses B.V.
Esmeralda Breeding and
Biotechnology
Interplant Roses B.V.
Interplant Roses B.V.
Rosen-Tantau KG
NIRP International
‘Pink Irischka’
‘Odilia’
‘Nathalie’
‘Sissi Mikado’
‘Pepita’
‘Brilliant Stars Double’
Jan Spek Rozen B.V.
Interplant Roses B.V.
Interplant Roses B.V.
Rosen-Tantau KG
Kordes Roses International B.V.
Esmeralda Breeding and
Biotechnology
‘Fireworks’
‘Twinkle Bride’
‘Misty Bubbles’
‘Brilliant Stars Pink’
‘Kylie’
‘Flashing’
Interplant Roses B.V.
NIRP International
De Ruiter Innovations, B.V.
Esmeralda Breeding and
Biotechnology
Interplant Roses B.V.
Interplant Roses B.V.
‘Pryanka’
‘Flash Dance’
‘Crazy Rosever’
‘Lady Bombastic’
‘Lavender Bouquet’
‘Ocean Mikado’
Interplant Roses B.V.
Interplant Roses B.V.
NIRP International
Interplant Roses B.V.
Kordes Roses International B.V.
Rosen-Tantau KG
‘Brilliant Stars Red’
‘Mirabel’
‘Hot Bubbles’
‘Rubicon’
‘Brown Sugar’
‘Chococcino’
Esmeralda Breeding and
Biotechnology
Interplant Roses B.V.
De Ruiter Innovations, B.V.
Interplant Roses B.V.
Interplant Roses B.V.
Interplant Roses B.V.
www.superfloralretailing.com
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march ’13 floral retailing 21