Availability and Vase Life
Because of their widespread cultivation, roses are available in many different colors and sizes year-round. Vase life ranges from 6-12 days, depending upon care and handling.
Design Uses
Roses are versatile flowers, often associated with romance and elegance. They make beautiful vase arrangements and single-stem gifts. Their broad appeal is enhanced by the wide variety of rose colors and styles available today.
Make your own “Rose Basket” to decorate your home or to give as a gift (or one of each!). It’s easy and is a unique way to display a dozen roses.
Materials:
· 12 stems of roses
· 20 stems of white freesia
· Floral bowl tape or rubber band
· 1.5 yards of 2-inch wide decorative red ribbon
· 2 long straight pins (optional)
· short glass vase, approximately 6-inches tall by 6-inches wide
· Floral clippers
· Scissors
· Floral preservative
Directions:
1. Remove the leaves from the roses and cut them to about 10-inches in length.
2. Cut the freesia to 10-inches in length and remove any lateral stems from their main stems.
3. If you are right handed, hold the flowers in your left hand (and vice-versa). Make a round bunch by holding the flowers just under their blooms. The flower heads should all be at the same height and the stems should be straight, and not crossing each other.
4. When all the flowers are used, fasten the bouquet with either a rubber band or floral bowl tape. Rubber band or tape them where your hand was holding their stems.
5. Neatly cover the rubber band or tape with decorative ribbon. You may either tie a bow (like you tie a shoe) or use two long straight pins to hold the ribbon in place (without a bow).
6. Cut the stems to about 8-inches in length and set the Love Bunch in a vase filled with fresh water and floral preservative.
