Throughout the month of June, we receive copious orders for rose arrangements, such as the exquisite Rose Sorbet bouquet featuring a variety of roses and spray roses. Roses are appropriate to send as birthday gifts, for weddings and for many other occasions.

Roses may be delivered thornless or with thorns.  A sharp knife may be used  to remove the thorns from the stems. Care should be taken not to cut into the stem and to make slow, deliberate motions away from the body.  It is wise to wear gardening gloves for protection.

Trimming the ends of the stems diagonally will help the flowers absorb the water better. One should use a clean, sharp knife or pruning sheers for this job, and cut approximately ¾” away from the end of the stem. As the roses begin to wilt, they may be trimmed again and placed in clean water with more preservative.

It can be useful to remove any decaying leaves that may be on the stems of the roses. This is especially true for any leaves that appear below the water line in the vase.

Roses should be placed in a cool location that does not receive direct sunlight. Air circulation can speed up water evaporation and cause the roses to become dehydrated, so the vase should be placed out of the way of heating or air conditioning vents.

Given proper attention, a rose floral arrangement will stay beautiful for up to a week or longer!