Spray roses aren’t seen in traditional flower arrangements as frequently as long stem roses. Subtle differences between the garden rose flowers you prune off a bush in your yard and the rose bouquets that you’re given on special occasions may be at the “root” of understanding what makes them unique.
Why Are Spray Roses Miniature?
Without examining them side by side, the different types of roses can still look pretty similar. It’s why when you look at most rose varietals, you can easily distinguish a rose in a flower arrangement. Creating a DIY flower arrangement around certain types of garden roses presents a creative challenge putting them together in a cluster that intermingles the colors and petals. Staggering and positioning other flowers around a miniature rose to create a uniform bouquet can yield unexpectedly unique patterns. Depending on how many blooms are on a single stem, they can appear as a branch of flowers growing together that already create their own bouquet. The frequent use of long stem or common hybrid tea roses may be due in part to the ease of fitting them in arrangements with other flowers given their singular, often straight stem that doubles as a bouquet handle. Seeing the differences between spray or miniature roses and the common long stem roses or garden varieties (no pun intended) typically starts with the way in which they grow. Spray roses branch into a cluster of what are often smaller flowers. This “spray” formation also explains why they are alternately referred to as miniature roses. They tend to grow smaller due to their limited proximity to the stem being so close together.
Rose Appearances and Flower Size
Starting with the blooms themselves, recognizing the differences between spray and hybrid tea roses can be slight. Most of the ways to distinguish one from the other are in their size, design as well as the number of petals in the bloom. Miniature rose varieties can grow either as semi-doubles or doubles containing up to 25 petals in semi-doubles and 45 petals in double blooms. The miniature rose or spray cultivar tends to produce fairly small flowers, which depending on personal choices, can make for an elegant bouquet. Hybrid tea roses on the other hand, can grow up to 5 inches in diameter, with certain cultivars producing up to 60 petals on a single flower. Although hybrid teas tend to be larger than miniature roses, the multitude of blooms you get from a single spray stem makes them an impressively arranged bouquet.
Why This Rose Type Remains Popular
There is a range of reasons for the enduring popularity of miniature roses. For one, they offer more blooms per stem than the long stem variety that offer a single bloom. With the constant popularity of roses year-round, the fact that spray roses tend to produce more blooms per stalk than other rose bushes and varietals makes them more attractive. While some people go for the grandeur of tea roses to make a big statement, there is a certain understated class to spray roses that integrate design into their growth process.
Growing Miniature Roses
In terms of growth, many varietals planted from cuttings may root without much assistance, though how long it takes for roses to bloom is another story. It is possible to propagate, or create new growth, from cut flowers as well, though depending on how fresh and live the material inside the flower stems are still viable. It’s a gamble that sometimes works out and spray roses are the perfect flower for this experiment. As they tend to grow rather small, compact and on the same central stem, they can be ideal for propagation in an indoor setting or small spaces. Because of its size and growth, this is a type of rose perfect for a potted plant, in a community garden area (at least 3 feet from other plants), empty spot in a yard, or an indoor decoration for a home or apartment as long as they have access to plenty of sunlight. Generally, roses are pretty hardy and tend to flower without too much help, but having the basics of caring for roses can help to prolong the flowering season and ensure fostering a healthy plant.
Choosing The Right Flower
Traditional roses seem to be the go-to choice for every occasion, the kind you see tossed from balconies and presented as a token of undying love. From weddings to romantic gestures, long stem roses seem to be the first pick that people reach for. Though with their close arrangements in varied colors, spray rose bouquets offer an opportunity to create colorful patterns of balanced, beautiful blooms. Figuring out which rose types you prefer takes time and personal experience with each. We can also help you with what flowers to pair with roses.
If you’re looking for an opportunity that integrates flowers in your life and creates opportunities to sample different rose cultivars, trying out a subscription allows for people to enjoy a variety of floral varieties that deliver more bloom for your buck.
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