Sending Roses
The botanical name of the rose is rosa and has long been the symbol for love and passion. Roses originate from China and are now cultivate from America to Africa and from Eastern Europe to the Far East. Today, there are over 30,000 varieties of roses and have the most complicated family tree of any known flower species.
Roses were extensively grown in the Middle East during the Roman period, where they were used in food, as confetti at celebrations, for medicinal purposes, and as a source of perfume.
In the 19 th century, old scented roses were used to make jelly. The red rose is the symbol of England and is worn on St George's Day. It is also the symbol of love and is hugely popular asValentine's Day flowers.
Roses come in all sizes and there are different varieties for different locations. Roses have amazing scents, astonishing beauty and some varieties have vigorous growth that will sprint up a tree, using it as a frame.
For extra scented roses, look for 'Sterling Star' (lilac), 'Jacaranda' (blue-pink), 'Osiana' (peach-cream), 'Sterling Silver' (lilac) and 'Extase' (deep red). Our most popular roses are the white avalanche roses, red grand prix roses, pink aqua roses and yellow illios roses.
As a care tip limp roses can be revived by standing up to their necks in lukewarm water in a cool room. Do not bash the stems as this prevents them taking up water effectively. Don't remove thorns unless for a hand-held posy, as these can cause wounds where bacteria can enter. They have a vase life of around a week but can last even longer if cared for correctly.
