4 Reasons I Love, & Everyone Else Hates Carnations

Talk about a bad reputation!

Everyone has a favourite flower. Some like lilies, tulips, even daisies.

And of course almost everyone loves roses.

But the most misunderstood flower of all is the carnation.

I've heard all the reasons why people hate carnations:

• they're common, grocery store flowers
• they look ugly
• the petals look deformed

Always the contrarian,  as a florist I love carnations because:

1. The darn things last forever. It's not uncommon for a carnation to last 2 to 3 weeks in a vase.
2. They come in a huge variety of colours. Red, white, yellow, hot pink, soft pink, lavender, mauve, dyed green, dyed blue just to name a few.
3. The carnation still has scent. With all the cross-breeding done to increase the life of flowers, most have lost their scent in the process. In particular, roses have become subject to this phenomenon. In trying to increase longevity and colour, the scent has disappeared with most roses. The carnation still has that spicy scent which I love!
4. Preparation. Simply remove the leaves that would be below the water line in a vase, cut the bottom of the stem on an angle, and voila...the carnation is ready to use.

Next time you order your flowers, please give the carnation a second chance.

It needs your love...and like a puppy...gives you unconditional love in return!

Who Killed the Scent from a Rose?

We can only blame it on ourselves, so please don't blame Simon Says Roses!

Most roses have lost their scent years ago.

How did that happen you ask? (and you know if you didn't ask, you're still gonna' get an answer)

About 25 years ago, people were asked "what is important when buying roses"?

Smell wasn't the top answer. Nor was stem length. Not even colour selection.

We wanted our roses to last longer.

..and that's o.k....BUT...

In the process of gene manipulation, growers certainly have made long-lasting roses. Even the least expensive varieties with the shortest of stems should last at least seven days, and some varieties a full two weeks.

But like most things when we tamper with nature, it comes at a cost (not to mention the "rainbow" rose shown below...and yes it's real).

 

The cost is the arrival of the "scentless" rose.

In fact I can only think of two rose varieties that still have the fragrance from the "old" days when Simon Says Roses first started. Jacaranda (a purple rose) still smells wonderfully, and Oceana (a pink rose) can almost bring tears to your eyes through its fragrance. Both these types of roses have a sweet smell which is simply out of this world.

But they don't last very long. Not very long at all. Once you get them home they open very quickly, fill your home or office with a most delicious smell...and die in about three days :(

So what do you think? Is a longer lasting rose better than a fragrant rose?

Please leave me your comments.