Roses can be thorny and cruel. Go slowly, look at where your hands are, and cut with caution.
Selecting beautiful fragrant roses is an artform. Whether picking roses for a special bouquet to decorate your home, or to plant in your garden, choosing the freshest, highest quality blooms is essential. Follow this comprehensive guide to identify and pick roses at their peak for maximum enjoyment.
Examine the Buds
When evaluating roses the first thing to look at is the unopened buds. Optimal buds will be mostly closed with just the outermost petals beginning to unfurl. Buds like this are on the cusp of blooming into a glorious open flower. Completely closed tight buds are a little too young, while buds that are already open wide often mean the rose was picked too late and will have a shorter vase life.
Check the Petals
Gently touch and visually inspect the rose petals. Soft, velvety petals with good substance indicate a fresher rose. Petals that feel thin or papery with edges browning or discolored signal an older bloom past its prime. The petals should also appear crisp, not droopy or wilted.
Look for Vibrant, Luminous Color
The richest, most vivid rose colors denote fresh picked blooms bursting with optimal hydration and vitality. As roses age after cutting, they gradually lose that luminous depth of color, taking on a paler, faded appearance. Always select roses with brightly saturated hues across all shades from pale pastels to deep crimsons.
Inspect the Foliage
The leaves on newly harvested roses will typically be a bright shade of green, sometimes trending towards white or yellowish near where they attach to the stem. Older rose leaves tend to change to a darker green, yellowing, or even browning as the bloom ages and dries out. Leaves should appear healthy, without blemishes or shriveling. Damaged leaves will detract from the rose’s beauty and shorten its display life.
Check the Stems
A fresh, recently cut rose stem should be strong but flexible. Gently bend the stem and see that it is firm yet resilient without splitting or breaking. Old woody stems that snap easily when bent indicate an aged bloom well past its ideal picking stage. Healthy rose stems will be sturdy enough to provide good support for the flower head without drooping over.
Inspect for Imperfections
Carefully look over each individual rose and ensure it is free of any bruises, cuts, punctures or other physical damage. Even slight tears to the petals or leaves will rapidly worsen over time in water. Any visible flaws or imperfections early on mean the rose will have a shorter vase life and display less beautifully. Always select only completely pristine roses.
Smell the Rose Fragrance
A rose’s scent is a clear giveaway to its freshness. Bury your nose inside a few different blooms and deeply inhale their fragrance. The strongest, sweetest rose perfume denotes freshly harvested flowers full of vitality. Old neglected roses that were cut some time ago will have very faint, barely detectable scents.
Buy Locally Grown Roses
Locally grown roses that didn’t travel far from harvest to retailer tend to provide better quality blooms. Imported roses are often picked early and spend days in dark boxes during transit, vastly shortening their vase life by the time they make it to the consumer. Know where your roses originate from and choose local whenever possible.
Learn the Florist’s Storage Method
Understand how the florist cared for the roses before purchase. The best situation is roses that were kept hydrated in water under refrigeration immediately after arrival. Dry storage in a hot back room hastens deterioration. Inquire about their rose handling procedures and select stores that prioritize freshness.
Plan Ahead and Use Roses Quickly
Buy roses as close to your event date as possible, ideally 1-2 days prior. Picking them up well in advance often means they’ll already be faded or wilted by the time your occasion rolls around. Let your florist know the date you need them to ensure roses are ordered to be in prime bloom right on schedule.
Follow These Tips for Rose Perfection
Using the steps above to thoroughly evaluate roses will equip you to recognize and choose only the freshest blooms filled with beauty and vibrancy. Taking the time to properly inspect and select roses pays dividends in their ideal colors, fragrance, and longevity when enjoyed in arrangements or in the garden. With knowledge and practice, you’ll be an expert rose picker in no time!
Cut 12-18 Inch Stems
This is the ideal length to fit in your buckets. It also gives the plant plenty of leaves and stem remaining to grow more roses. We try to keep the stronger branches below on the bush to support more growth and flowers all summer long.
Cut Roses when They are Starting to Open
The outermost rose petals are a bit different and called sepals. When the sepals unfold, that’s the most perfect time to cut. If you cut a bud that is too tightly sealed still, it will not ever open and unfurl. You can also cut blooms that are more open, developed and fragrant. If the outermost petals are discolored or falling off, then it is too late to get much vase life from the bloom.
Growing Roses, A Complete Beginner’s Guide
FAQ
How do you pick a rose?
Don’t focus on the bloom itself and how it’s opening; focus on the sepals and bud stage to tell you when it’s ready to harvest. Harvest when at least three-quarters of the sepals are reflexed and the rose is in tight bud-to-marshmallow stage beginning to unfold.
How to pick good roses?
To choose fresh, healthy roses, focus on the bud, petals, stem, and leaves. The bud should be firm and slightly open, not too tight or too loose. Petals should be vibrant and without browning or bruising.
How to pick a good rose?
- Look at the colour. A rosé wine can range in colour from lighter to darker, from pale pink to reddish or purplish. …
- Pay attention to the vintage. It is not true that every wine improves with time. …
- Look at the alcohol volume. …
- Check where it was made.
How to tell if roses are good quality?
Ever wondered how to tell if a rose is fresh? It’s all in the squeeze! Gently squeeze the rose heads. If they’re firm to the tough, they’re fresh. If they’re soft and squishy, they’re older. This can help you choose the perfect flowers for your event.