When it comes to gardening and floral arrangements, unique and and rare varieties of roses are always of interest for gardeners and rose lovers. Most species of roses are either white or have pink shades.Over time, selective breeding led to the development of other colors.
History
Purple-toned roses were very rare and only known variety was “Cardinal Richelieu” (Rosa “Cardinal Richelieu”) introduced in the 1800s. This variety was hardy in USDA zones 4b through 8b. This variety was relatively small flowered hybrid China rose, and had much darker purple flowers. “Sterling Silver" rose also termed as sterling rose was introduced in 1957. Sterling rose is hybrid tea rose whose flowers are large and lavender in colour and are crowned at the top of long stalks. Sterling silver roses are different from other lavander roses as the “Sterling Silvers” were the first to be cultivated. Secodly, these roses were relatively thornless and had a sweet fragrance. These two qualities are not present in all hybrid teas. Therefore we can say that “Sterling silver” is the true and original lavender rose, it is nearly thornless and has a sweet and citrusy fragrance. Nearly every single modern lavender variety today has originated from stirling silver variety therefore they are parents or ancesters of lavender varieties of roses.
Other lavender varieties of roses
As mentioned earlier that with the introduction of "Sterling Silver’s ", numerous similar, silvery lavender varieties have been introduced and “Sterling Silver” is in parentage of most of them. One of these varieties is of “Lagerfeld” the strongly scented, hybrid tea hardy in USDA zones 7 through 10 is little larger than “Sterling Silver”. One of the parent varieties of "Lagerfeld’s is the silvery lavender “Angel Face” , hardy in USDA zones 6b through 9b. “Angel Face” represents a direct offspring of “Sterling Silver,” it is a floribunda rose, and bears clusters of large, ruffled flowers having a vibrant, lemony fragrance.
Instructions to grow “Sterling Silver”
“Sterling Silver” should be grown by an experienced gardener and its gardening is a little challenging for the first two years however, once it becomes established it proves to be a fabulous rose. “Sterling Silver” with other silvery lavender roses, require minimum of six hours of direct sunlight a day to thrive. It should be planted in a well-drained, loamy soil and should be provide regular moisture while the plants establish roots and during dry spells afterwards. An encore of blooming can be encouraged by pruning canes by about one-third in early spring and removing spent flowers during the growing season. “Sterling Silver” and its offspring sometimes also need winter protection when are grown in the cooler parts of their hardiness zones. Protective covers should be used to keep the plants from being damaged by late spring frosts.
Uses
All lavender varities of roses including “Sterling Silver” especially have a lovely look when paired with plants such as lavender (Lavandula spp) or lavender cotton (Santolina spp.) with its silvery foliage. Either they are grown in traditional rose beds or are mixed with annual/perennial/shrub borders. Grown with borders, other shorter plants blanket the roses’ bases, which seem less attractive than the top pretty floral parts. Climbing forms of “Sterling Silver” and “Angel Face” are also available which can add beauty to trellises, arches and other small spaces.
Care and Handling of flowers
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Rose stems after receiving should be cut and re-hydrated and the protective cardboard and farm sleeve should be left on for the first 4 hours of hydration.
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Tools used to cut and re hydrate roses and all buckets and vases must be clean and bacteria free. Professional cleaning agents such as Chrysal and Floralife are available from major floral preservative manufacturers and are better than the traditional method of cleaning with bleach.
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Cool to room temperature water should be used to hydrate roses, with a proper floral preservative roses can be hydrated in the cooler.
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Water treated with recommended dose of floral preservative must be used. Use of improper dose of preservative can be ineffective and in fact may damage your roses. These solutions can adjust normal tap water to proper PH level (3.7 to 4.3), reduce build up of bacteria, nourish flowers with essential nutrients and increase the uptake of water significantly to the bloom. A hydration pre treatment solution such as “Quickdip” is also beneficial to use in order to reduce the chances of stem blockage.
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Now a days, new and Improved floral preservatives made specifically for roses are available from both “Floralife” and “Chrysal”. Tests prove that they make roses last longer.
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Proper maintenance of temperatures and humidity in your cooler is also critical in extending vase life of roses. Roses should be stored with a humidity level of 90% at 2 to 3 degrees Celsius.
In summary, the proper treatment of roses makes them to perform better and last longer!
Vase Life
Depending on the variety, average vase life for a fresh rose ranges from 10 to 14 days . From this it can be inferred that roses will last for approximately 5 to 7 days for a customer if sold within 5 to 7 days after arriving at a flower shop! Following precautionary measures must be taken to keep flower fresher during their vase life…
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Always ask for roses that had been shipped in date coded boxes to ensure that you are buying the freshest product.
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Make sure that fresh roses have been shipped respecting the "cold chain” and that roses have been properly hydrated in clean buckets with floral preservative are more likely to last long!
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Fresh roses can be purchased from certified “Veriflora” farms and handlers who can give guarantee that all roses are fresh and shipping has been carried out respecting the cold chain and handling has been done with the strictest quality control procedures from farm to florist.
The newer varieties of roses developed during the last 5 years generally have a structure with a higher “petal count”. More petals are meant for larger heads and longer vase life as compared to the older varieties!
Availability
All varieties of roses do not grow in all lengths! Varieties, such as “Forever Young” are mostly produced in longer grades (60 to 90 cm) while others like “Akito”and “Circus” are mostly produced in shorter grades (40 to 50 cm).
Pricing
4 major pricing categories are generally classified for rose by the farms, varieties from the most expensive to the most affordable . These are enlisted in categories AA, A, B and C. This classifications is based upon factors like productivity for each variety, market demand for fresh varieties and vase life in general.
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