Behind every beautiful rose there is a breeder and a grower. The breeders crossbreed and develop new varieties which they sell to the growers, who will then grow them commercially in their vast “glasshouses.”
The breeding of roses actually started in Europe in the eighteenth century. Varieties were crossed to increase resistance to disease and to extend the flowering period. The latter included removing the scent as this characteristic occurs in nature to better attract insects and results in quicker cross-pollination. Without their scent, roses have a longer vase life.
Breeders also pursue natural variations and make them into new varieties. For instance, the now much-admired Greeneye rose was formerly considered an error and discarded until a breeder selected it for its natural beauty.
In the “glasshouses” roses are grown mostly in stone wool. From a cutting, it takes eight to 10 weeks for a rose to be ready for picking. Each single bloom rose produces three to five additional side shoots.The growers remove these (side pruning), to focus the plant’s energy on the one bloom, making it bigger and more beautiful to attract the insects and ensure its progeny.
Reineri has a rare selection of large-headed bloom roses with the side shoots intact, developed into additional heads. These are not spray roses, but floribunda roses, even though they are called “Spray Avalanche.” Also available as Spray Sweet, Sorbet or Peach Avalanche.
Thank you for your enquiries on tulips last month. If anyone has comments or queries on roses, I will be delighted to hear from you at lucinda.sanderson@reineri.nl or call 07925 695081.
Fun facts
- Roses were first grown thousands of years ago by the Chinese and Africans.
- Breeders purposely remove the scent of roses to increase their vase life.
- Roses will not open properly if cut too early. They can have a longer vase life too as they don’t use up all their energy just to open.
- There are three types of roses: single bloom roses, spray roses and floribunda (Spray Avalanche) roses.
- Disinfect your knife with boiling water or bleach before cutting the stems.
- Don’t remove thorns as this creates wounds that can easily get infected and kill the rose. Just dull the sharp points with a thick cloth.
- If you don’t have any flower food for conditioning, give your rose a soft drink instead. These contain sugar which a rose needs to fully open.
- Reineri has a range of rare scented garden roses.
