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Interesting Facts About the Rose

White and red rose

Roses are the most popular flower in the world. Nearly everyone loves this beautiful, magical, and, some would say, perfect bloom. Its long and rich history is intimately linked with humans, and the rose has been used to symbolize love, beauty, war, politics, and more.  Here are some cool and interesting facts about the beautiful and immaculate rose that you may not know.

pink rose in summer garden

  • While the most popular color of rose is red, they come in a wide array of colors, shapes, and sizes. here are over 150 different types of roses and thousands of cultivated hybrids s. Roses grow as climbers, groundcovers, and shrub-like plants, and they can be found on every continent.

 

  • Roses grow across the globe, but the countries that produce the largest amount of roses (billions each year!) are The Netherlands, Ecuador, Columbia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Due to ideal weather conditions, Ecuadorian roses are considered the best as the climate allows for them to grow vibrant, large varieties, including new and rare crossbreeds of blue roses.

 

  • Roses are one of the oldest flowers known, with fossils that date back 35 million years. Evidence suggests roses were being cultivated nearly 5000 years ago by Japanese, Chinese, and Greek civilizations. This makes roses the oldest flower to be cultivated specifically for ornamentation. Amazingly, the oldest living rose today is over 1,000 years old and can be found growing on the side of Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany. 

 

  • Some roses are edible. Creative chefs, baristas, and bartenders use rose petals and rose extract for cocktails, teas, jellies, and as a flavoring in meals. A common ingredient made from roses is rose water, which comes from soaking rose petals in water. Roses found in a typical bouquet, however, are not to be consumed. Only roses specially made for human consumption should be ingested.

 

  • Each rose color has unique and interesting hidden symbolism. The classic red rose has the well-known symbolism of romance, beauty, and love. Bright fiery orange roses are associated with passion, excitement, and romance, while a softer peach shade represents sincerity and gratitude. White roses signify sympathy, which is why they are often seen at funerals, but they also represent innocence and purity, making them common at weddings as well. Pink roses are used for expressing admiration, elegance, and joy.

 

  • In 1986, Ronald Reagan declared the rose the national flower of the United States. Georgia, New York, Iowa, North Dakota, and Washington, D.C have a type of rose as their official state flower, as well.

 

  • The largest rose ever was grown by Nikita K. Rulhoksoffski, a Californian rose grower, and it was 33 inches in diameter with a 6-foot stem. This rose was five times larger than a typical large hybrid rose and was so big it couldn’t stand upright on its own and had to be displayed on the floor.

Closeup of rose bush flowers in summer garden during blossoming after rain

If you are now inspired to get your hands on some roses to create decorative floral centerpieces or bouquets, then check out our rose selection. Along with filler blooms, assorted flowers, and fresh greenery, Cascade Floral Wholesale has the best, high-quality, and long-lasting blooms around.

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How to Arrange Roses

Roses are perfect for brightening any space, lifting our spirits, and filling us with a sense of calm as we gaze upon and admire their beauty, so why not make them a regular part of your life? Arranging fresh-cut rose stems into an enchanting design is easy. Below are two of the most popular flower arranging methods you can do yourself.

Close-up of male florist preparing flower bouquet at his flower shop

Prepping Your Roses

When you have your fresh roses in front of you, remove all the leaves along the stem and any brown or damaged petals. 

Choosing Your Vase

When choosing a vase, opaque is typically better than clear glass. A great vase shape is an hourglass shape that is wide at the bottom, eventually narrowing, and then flares out slightly at the top. Another popular vase shape is round which tends to be shorter but makes compact, striking floral designs. 

Beautiful bouquet of blooming long stem pink roses on white background.

Rose Arrangement #1 – European Hand Tie Method

Vase type – Hourglass

Fill the vase with tepid water no more than ¾ full. Add flower food. 

After the stems have been prepped, lay them out in front of you. 

Select a stand-out bloom to be your center rose. Add a second rose on an angle next to it so the stems criss-cross. 

Portrait of female florist in apron arranging fresh flowers for bouquet in the flower shop, using roses, hydrangea, peonies. Small local business

Continue adding roses in a circle ensuring the stems cross each other to create a domed effect for the buds and a sprawling look for the stems underneath.

Once you’ve used up all the roses or reached your desired size (or capacity for the vase), hold the bouquet next to the vase and cut off the stems so that rose heads are just above the lip of the vase. The roses are now ready to be placed into the vase. Fluff up and move individual stems as necessary, but the bouquet should be fairly tight with little to no gaps. If the arrangement is too loose and falls open, remove them and bind the bouquet at the base with twine or florist tape before placing back into the vase.  

Female florist holding fresh roses in vase

Rose Arrangement #2 – Tape Grid Method

Vase type – Round

Fill the vase with tepid water ¾ full. Make sure the edges of the vase are dry. Next, cut strips of clear tape and place them across the top of the vase in a horizontal and vertical grid fashion. The grid will help keep your flowers upright as you build your arrangement, leading to a robust design with evenly spaced flowers.  

scissors and tape on a white background. office equipment for work

After the stems have been prepped, lay them out in front of you. 

Cut the Stems

In order to create a full, rounded dome look, cut the roses at varying heights (at ½ inch increments) so the shortest rest just above the top of the vase and the tallest is about 2 inches from the top of the vase.  

Woman making floral wedding decorations. Tiny bouquet of beautiful pink flowers

Arrange Your Stems

Start with the tallest bloom and place it in the very center. Surround this bloom with the second tallest stems in a circular fashion. Continue doing this with the shortest blooms making up the outside circle of the arrangement. The grid design is perfect for also adding greenery to add height and dimension. 

Wild roses bouquet in a glass vase

For all your wholesale floral needs, visit Cascade Floral to find the best, highest-quality, and longest-lasting blooms. 

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Popular Types of Roses Used by Florists

Close up of multi colored Circus Roses, yellow with red and orange tips using a soft focus

Roses are the most popular flowers in the world and are loved by gardeners and florists alike. The types of roses you see in a garden, though, may differ from the types of roses seen in a florist shop and vice versa. Out of the thousands of species and varieties of roses, not all of them are suitable for cut flowers to place in an arrangement. Both gardeners and florists look for the same traits in roses, such as gorgeous blooms, drought tolerance, and an aversion to pests and diseases. Florists also look for rose varieties that are colorful and fragrant, hold up well during transport and handling, have long stems, and have a long vase life. If you’re curious about the rose varieties many florists carry, we list them for you below. 

Single long stem rose isolated on white

Long-Stemmed Roses

Long-stem roses are variations of hybrid tea roses and are the most common types of roses sold as cut flowers and used by florists. With stems at least 6 inches long and blooms 5 inches wide, long-stem roses are great for use in bouquets and floral arrangements. 

Long-stemmed roses are usually hybrid-tea types that have long dramatic stems with a single large flower and a pointed, tightly wrapped bud before reaching full bloom. Red long-stemmed roses are mainstays in a florist’s shop where they are typically sold by the dozen. There are also assorted colored long-stemmed roses that came in a wide range of colors, with the more popular ones being yellow, pink, peach, white, and cream. Most long-stemmed roses have very little or no scent.

Miniature red roses bouquet for party or birthday celebrations. Water on rose petals. Pink roses bundle with dew drops on a white background. Bunch of flowers- Valentine's Day gift for women or mother

Sweetheart Roses

“Sweetheart Roses” is a term that refers to any small rose of the hybrid tea type.

Delicate beautiful pink roses from a garden in a glass vase. English Roses,Variety - Princess Alexandra of Kent.

Short-Stem Roses

Beautiful and more fragrant than long-stemmed roses, short-stem roses have few thorns and shorter stems. Due to their shorter stems, this type of rose works better in a mixed arrangement or smaller vase.

From the famous rose breeder David Austin, “old-fashioned” English roses have shorter stems, an abundance of petals, and a lovely, sweet fragrance.

Pink rose flower var. Pastella. Fragrant Floribunda Rose blooms. Medium sized flowers in clusters. Creamy with a Blush of Pale Pink Peach color. Hybrid tea roses in garden

Floribunda

A common long-stemmed variety, the Floribunda rose is a cross between the polyantha and hybrid tea roses. The stems are very long and atop each is a cluster of roses, instead of just one. This is a hardy rose variety with gorgeous blooms that come in many colors and have a long vase life. 

Popular Types of Roses by Color

Beautiful  red Rose Closeup.  A Freedom red Rose photographed with selective focus and natural light.

Red Roses

Freedom Rose – A staple in many florists’ shops and the best-selling rose in the U.S., this striking bloom has the perfect shade of red and a long vase life. 

Close up of multi colored Circus Roses, yellow with red and orange tips using a soft focus

Orange Roses

Circus Rose – A bi-colored rose of red and yellow that takes an orange hue so close to the actual color it’s astounding. The large blossom and stunning color make it an excellent choice for any floral design. 

close up view of Rose Juliet and green plants bouquet

Peach Roses

Juliette by David Austin Roses – A wedding favorite, this voluptuous English rose bloom has a soft yet luminous peach color and a light tea fragrance. 

pink rose in summer garden
pink rose in summer garden

Pink Roses

Sweet Akito – Another favorite wedding rose, its soft, delicate pink color is absolutely beautiful. 

An Image of Rose Cool Water

Lavender

Cool Water – A lovely and enchanting shade of bright lavender makes this rose variety a real standout. 

Dew on the petals of a white rose. Fresh flowers in a summer cottage

White 

Tibet Rose – A popular white flower found in many florist shops, this rose opens into a beautiful creamy white blossom that lasts a long time. 

For all of your wholesale floral needs, Cascade Wholesale Flowers is your best choice for fresh, quality blooms.