If youve been seduced by the voluptuous English roses bred by British
plantsman David Austin, I wont have to convince you that they are an essential
design element of the romantic cottage garden. With flowers and growth habits
reminiscent of old garden roses, David Austins shrub roses have a reputation
for being particularly tough, reliable and healthy, not to mention incredibly
fragrant.
Demand from brides and flower lovers yearning for bouquets of peony-sized
English roses prompted the grower to develop a specialty cut-flower program.
Fifteen years in development, Cut Garden Roses by David Austin has just launched
nationwide with door-to-door-delivery by FedEx. The collection features seven
English garden roses — all with rich color and lush shape — bred especially
for long vase life. (The company guarantees the roses will last at least five
days in a vase.) Theres Miranda, a plump rose-pink flower packed with ruffled
petals, and the peach-colored Juliet, one of David Austins most beloved roses.
Theyre all sustainably grown by Green Valley Floral in Salinas, Calif., and
available year-round because they are raised in greenhouses during winter
months.
Each bouquet contains 12 stems. Prices (excluding shipping) range from $80 to
$125, depending on whether you select a single flower or mixed arrangement. Like
conventional long-stem hybrid roses, the flowers arrive with closed buds. Unlike
conventional roses, after being placed in a vase, the buds open to reveal an
abundance of nicely arranged petals, just as if you picked them from
grandmothers garden. I received a boxed bouquet last week, and after changing
the water and recutting the stems every other day, I snapped a picture, left, to
show how beautiful the blooms still looked after five days. Sorry you cant
smell them!
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