Best Roses for Floral Design
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
Of all the flowers on earth, roses are ones which have stood the test of time. The rose is recognized by cultures all around the world as a symbol of love, friendship, and sympathy. Because of the flower's universality, scientists and growers have worked diligently to breed roses over the years to expand species and colors further than a simple white, pink, red, or yellow. Today, you can find roses in numerous shades of oranges, pinks, yellows, reds, purples, whites, and countless colors in between! But with so many options, how do we even begin to choose?!
To help with this, we reached out to Laurel Munro from Mint Floral Co. as well as a few of our other flower friends. See what they had to say about their favorite roses!
Lauren Miller Photography
Laurel (@mintfloralco) grew up watching her mother and grandmother grow spectacular peonies, hydrangeas, and vegetables in their gardens at their home in Canada. Seeing flowers from their start as a small, immature plant to their blooming as fully established specimens has given her an appreciation for how truly magnificent flowers are. Now, Laurel is not only a floral designer, but she's a grower of her forever favorite blooms - English Garden Roses!
"A Shropshire Lad" - David Austin
"I started growing English garden roses almost eight years ago, and this one has to be my favourite. It blooms profusely throughout the summer, and its flowers are fluffy mounds of soft pink/apricot that fades to a perfect blush. A single stem can hold 5-7 blooms at once, and its cut life is incredible. It can be a good lunch for aphids, but hand-picking, as well as hose-spraying new buds, can help keep them under control."
"Koko Loko" - Floribunda
"OBSESSED with this rose. Its shades can range from dusty pink to soft camel, to antique mauve. Its layered petals open to a full view of the stunning center stigma and stamens. Like all roses, it just gets better with time and lasts for weeks as a cut stem. This rose will find its way into almost all of our wedding bouquets this year! It is just an absolute show-stopper."
"Romantik Antike"
"That beauty right at the top! This rose has one of the more unique shades of pink I have ever seen. I'd describe it as a dusty strawberry colour. It's lush layers upon layers, and round shape makes it an awesome Peony replacement. I often suggest this one to brides who are getting married outside of peony season!"
"Amnesia"
"I'm a bit of a rose snob and usually stick to the Garden Roses, but this Amnesia rose is a regular at the shop. Its shade of dusty mauve and almost tan edges makes it a really stunning addition to almost any palette. It's cut life is one of the longest I've seen with stems lasting 2-3 weeks with proper care. And as any rose, it just gets better and better with time for its petals to open!"
"Hot Cocoa" - Floribunda, "Crown Princess Margareta" - David Austin, "Koko Loko" - David Austin, "Fair Bianca" - Heirloom Roses, "Abraham Darby" - David Austin
Just in case that wasn't enough, we asked several Team Flower members and industry experts to share their favorite roses as well. Adding any of these roses to your flower palette is bound to not only inspire you but also to encourage you to "stop and smell the roses"!
"My favorite rose by far is the quicksand rose! The color blends in nicely with ANY color palette, it lasts a long time, and it can be used in so many different ways!" - Amanda Rose @amandadayrose
"Juliet is one of the most popular David Austin™ garden rose varieties available today. The soft, peachy-apricot shades are exceptionally sophisticated and create a feeling of warmth and romance. Juliet has large, elegant flower heads that open (note: usually need 4-5 days to open nicely) to reveal many perfectly arranged petals nestled in the heart of each bloom. Light fragrant notes of lilac and sweet vanilla fill the room. This soft, delicate bloom makes this the perfect garden rose for a wide variety of special occasions and events." - Florabundance @florabundanceinc
"My favorite is probably quicksand right now, but I just used orange combo and loved how beige it was! Earl Grey if we are using the color of the year (purple). It's so hard to choose just one!" - Shelley Boyer @honeysuckleeventsobx
"One of my favorite roses is "romantic antique" from Peterkort Roses. It's a world apart from the South American grown type, perfectly vibrant with the most gorgeous deckled edged petals. Swoon!" - Kate Asire @kateasireflowers
White Majolika: We might use these every single weekend. They open so widely and are the softest creamy white, sometimes with that perfect touch of blush. They are the closest thing to a climbing rose feel in a perfect little bundle.
Also, Distant Drum: An unreal color that adds insane dimension to your color palette. It's such a stand out beauty and worth every penny. - Sweet Root Village @sweetrootvillage
