Roses with Altitude

Life is the flower for which love is the honey…..Victor Hugo

Lucky Me

Every other Friday, two dozen long-stem roses are delivered to my front door. I have a standing order for white roses with just the tiniest tint of light green along the ruffled edge. Over the next two weeks, the roses begin to open and expand to 4″-5″ diameter. Around the time the next two dozen are delivered about 40% of the previous rose delivery will be gathered together into a new container, and those will last another 4-6 days. I love the white, but every once in a while, I order Mondial. This rose is so special. It is a very soft blush with a more pronounced pale green along the ruffle and on the base of the petals.  

Home Grown

To our advantage, because we are so close to the equator, the roses grow perfectly straight where the sun shines perpendicular to the plantation. Ecuadorian roses have a longer lifespan than the average rose; this has a lot to do with the altitude. The majority of the farmlands are located as much as 9,000 feet above sea level. However, several boutique growers plant at 10,000+ feet above sea level. Cayambe volcano – Ecuador’s third-highest mountain and the coldest spot on the equator, is home to the top boutique growers. Roses are happiest closer to the sun. And, they love being cold. The altitude and the weather contribute to the larger flower head, longer stems, and thicker, richer, green foliage. This combination also intensifies the color. Ecuador is the third-largest exporter of roses globally, with over 500 varieties available. The cut flower industry generates close to a billion dollars a year in revenue and employs 100,000+ people.

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How lucky am I…very! You can be lucky as well. Click on this rose link to the website Ecuador Direct Roses. EDR will deliver roses throughout the United States, a minimum of two dozen for a fraction of the cost you would normally pay. Trust me – you’ll be astounded. And those lucky enough to receive your gift will talk about it forever. Just make sure your recipient of the roses has enough vases or at least two large vases on hand. You can tailor the rose type and color to the person you are sending the roses to on the website. I just ordered two dozen for an artist friend in Hawaii. I know, crazy sending flowers to paradise! I went through all the colors twice and could not decide. So, I selected the Rainbow Bouquet…An assortment of amazing colors. Similar to an artist palette – apropos, I thought.

An Inside Rose Garden – Almost

I have always loved flowers around the house. But, I have to admit – I’m a lazy flower buyer. I loved the idea of that special, tiny flower shop, with a gorgeous selection and all the little gifts and cute stuff surrounding the blooms. But, the prices always made me feel faint. Plus, I know I can accessorize an inexpensive flower bunch with a unique vase and some unexpected foliage. While living in California, I was defiantly the Trader Joe’s flower shopper. Actually, my love affair with phalaenopsis orchids began at TJs. But, what’s not to love about Trader Joe’s.

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Ecuador is also home to over 4,000 species of orchids. These spectacular blooming epiphytes grow in high-altitude cloud forests of the Andean Sierra Highlands and the equatorial jungles of the Amazon Basin. There are so many orchids that the only comprehensive identification guide contains six huge volumes. Here in the Azuay Province, within an hour+ drive from Cuenca, you can tour magnificent orchard farms. With multiple greenhouses, nurturing hundreds of species from seedlings to mature orchid plants and the variety and beauty are endless.

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When you receive two dozen roses every two weeks, you have to think out of the box to develop a few new display ideas. I sometimes wander around my apartment looking for what I haven’t used yet as a vase. I like to divide the two-dozen roses between several containers. I can then use them in just about every room in the apartment. For the next delivery, I’m going to buy a bunch of eucalyptus branches and some willow-looking greens to mix in with a bit larger arrangement I have in mind. I like the greenery added when there are more than 6-8 roses in the container. It looks more free-form and wild!!

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The symbolism of Roses

In most of the world, roses represent love and beauty. And the various colors also symbolize different spiritual concepts throughout multiple cultures. Red is the color of passion and sacrifice. White is purity and holiness. The various shades of Pink bring forth gratitude, grace, admiration, and joy. Orange is enthusiasm and passion. Yellow is the color of friendship and wisdom.

Tomorrow is rose day at Casa Granado. So I had better finish up this post and publish it, so I have plenty of time to wander my apartment looking for new and unexpected containers for my rose delivery. Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the rose tour!