A rose is a rose is a rose. Or is it? Unbeknownst to most of us, the 90's spawned a virtual baby boom of rose varieties. Brought on by a fertile production period, today there are close to 120 rose varieties commercially available – up from the few dozen choices found in flower shops in the 1980’s.

This new wave in roses is outpacing consumer awareness. According to a recent survey commissioned by the Society of American Florists (SAF), half of the consumers surveyed believe only 50 or fewer varieties exist. Trend tracker and floral consultant for SAF, Denise Lee, notes the progress. “In my 20 years in the floral business I’ve never seen so many new varieties and colors – it’s a rose revolution.”

According to Lee, while the demand for roses is year-round, summer is their peak growing season. “Summer is the perfect time to experiment because roses are abundant and florists have the widest selection available,” says Lee.

Roses are red and pink and yellow and...
Even in this rose baby boom, red reigns as the all-time favorite rose color, especially among men. However, other colors are gaining in popularity: 62 percent of women surveyed prefer hues such as yellow, pink, peach and white. Unconventional color picks – lavender and orange roses – are also emerging as favorites.

So, do new colors bring new interpretations? According to Lee, rose meanings are a thing of the past. “In the early 1900’s rose colors did signify specific meanings. But today, there are too many colors to keep track,” says Lee. “It’s the sentiment that gives a gift its meaning.”

Expanding families of color
These new rose varieties have not only expanded the color palette – from extreme lights to bright brights – but have enhanced characteristics such as bloom size, shape, stem length and strength of fragrance. The Society of American Florists offers the following color guide and tips to get acquainted with these expanding color families:

Rage for Red:	The new reds range from shades of bright raspberry to majestic scarlet to velvety-dark red to orange-kissed hues. For your next BBQ or Italian dinner, ask your florist to match flamboyant red roses to your red-checkered tablecloth.
Pretty in Pinks:	Use pink roses to surprise someone with a “just-because” bouquet. Choose from the family of traditional bridal pinks or adopted siblings of hip hot pinks. Cousins on this family tree include peaches, apricots, corals and lavenders.
Yellow Stars:	Whether crisp lemon, buttery hues, golden yellows or trendy two-tones, the variety of yellow roses cover a broad spectrum of color – and appeal. If you’ve never given flowers to a man before, introduce him to this family of colors. Yellow is the second-most popular color cited by men.
Bright Whites:	The trend toward neutral schemes for home environments makes an arrangement of lush white roses the perfect hostess or house-warming gift. Shades of white – ultra white, ivory, champagne lineages – are as lovely for weddings as they are easy complements to elegant home decors.

“Roses are like fine wines, a delight to be savored and cultivated,” says Lee. “Like an expanding wine cellar – florists’ coolers are now stocked with more choices worth learning about.” After all, variety is the spice of life.

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