A rose from a florist and a rose from a supermarket are not the same flower. The difference lies in where it grew, how slowly, and how far it travelled after being cut.
We have been buying roses for our Boulevard Saint-Laurent shop since 1993. Here is what we look for, and how to choose.
Why we buy Ecuadorian roses
Our roses grow on the Andean plateaus of Ecuador, at altitude. Twelve hours of daylight, cool mornings and warm afternoons slow the plant down, so a rose takes around ninety days to reach maturity rather than being hurried. The volcanic soil does the rest.
The difference shows in three places: a longer, straighter stem, a noticeably larger bud, and a deeper colour. It shows again a week later, when the bouquet is still standing.
The varieties we work with
Roses are bought by variety rather than simply by colour, and the differences are real. These are the ones we keep:
| Freedom | The classic deep red. The rose most people picture when they picture a rose. |
| Mondial | Pure white with a large, full head. Our first choice for sympathy and for weddings. |
| Brighton | A warm yellow, cheerful without being loud. |
| Cherry O | Deep fuchsia, the most saturated colour we carry. |
| Pink Floyd | Hot pink, frank and modern. |
| Circus | Orange with amber tones. An autumn colour. |
| Esperance | Bicolour, cream edged with pink. The one people ask us about. |
| Geraldine | A soft powdered pink, quiet and elegant. |
Alongside these we work with spray roses, branched and carrying several blooms on a single stem. They open in sequence, which gives an arrangement a longer, gentler life.
If you have a variety in mind that is not on this list, write to us through our contact page. We can usually bring it in with a few days' notice.
Choosing the count: 12, 18, 24 or 30
The number of stems says more than the vase and more than the wrapping. It is the first thing the person receiving them reads.
| 12 stems | The complete gesture. Right for a birthday, a thank you, a first anniversary, or a Tuesday. |
| 18 stems | Visibly more generous without tipping into display. A good middle. |
| 24 stems | It carries weight. For milestone anniversaries, or apologies that need to land. |
| 30 stems | A declaration, and the one remembered years later. |
Our classic pastel roses exist in all four counts, and our long stem red roses are the Freedom variety described above.
What the colours say
The language of colour is convention rather than rule, but it is that convention the recipient reads.
- Red speaks of romantic love, and nothing else. Beautiful from a partner, awkward from a colleague.
- White reads as purity and respect. The right choice for sympathy, and increasingly for weddings.
- Pink carries gratitude and admiration, which makes it the surest colour for almost any occasion.
- Yellow speaks of friendship and warmth, with none of the romantic charge.
- Peach and orange speak of sincerity and enthusiasm. Fitting for congratulations and new beginnings.
Keeping them beautiful
Recut each stem at a sharp angle before it goes into the vase, remove any leaf that would sit below the waterline, and use a genuinely clean vase. That last point does more than any additive. Roses draw up lukewarm water faster than cold.
If a rose bows its head on a bent neck, that is an air bubble in the stem rather than the end of the flower, and it can be corrected in an hour. Our guide to cut flower care covers that and the rest.
Roses, from our workshop
It all happens in the order: pick the colour and the count, choose the delivery date, and name the occasion in the order notes. We take it from there, and we will pair the variety to it.
Discover our rose bouquets and our luxury collection, each arranged by hand in our workshop on the day it is delivered, in Montreal, Laval and on the South Shore.
