BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Roses Rose Buds won't Open

I received roses for Valentine's Day. The buds are dying without opening. Do you know why? <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I assume you are talking about a bouquet of roses.
More than likely you needed to re cut the stems before placing them in the vase or water.

Provided that you didn't recieve one of the new varieties of rose that is actually hybridized to remain in bud form - (they are prohibitively expensive at this point)
Tell your sweetie to change florists before he sends flowers again.

Here is why -
For Valentine's Day and other major holidays, unless the florist has their own greenhouses/fields, a great deal of the roses that are shipped to florists in the US are shipped 'dry packed'.
This means that when they arrive, they are packed in boxes, in bound bundles and wrapped in a protective wrap.

The florist's absolute first priority with this large quantity of seasonal flowers is to get these roses cooled down properly, to remove all unneccessary leaves, to cut the stems under water and get them placed into water that contains a special floral food/preservative so that they are recieving good water uptake,
If this proper processing does not happen, the roses will not open and perhaps you might even experience the heart rending "head droop" - the dreaded bane of all florists on Valentine's or any other day!

So - to answer your question -
I would be willing to bet that your Valentine's roses were not processed properly.

And Yes, cutting them after you receive them MAY in some cases, help, but the damage has already been done at the florist's work table - and NO amount of complaint on the day will help - if yours were badly handled, it is highly likely that ALL that florist's roses were handled in the same manner. (My best advice is to wait till the following week or the next when a new shipment of goods comes in!)

(In the florist's defense - I will say that most florists hire on "helpers" during peak times and sometimes, those "Helpers" do not follow the simple processing instructions to the letter, thereby ruining large portions of their holiday rose inventories. I have seen it happen many times.)
If in doubt - ASK how their roses were processed. Truly Professional Florists will be proud to tell you about their processing techniques.

Here's to Beautiful Florals! <img src="/images/graemlins/rolling.gif" alt="" />

You make a good point and I have to agree that would keep even re-cut roses from opening up properly.

It's a real shame....especially when the costs on roses go up so much around the major holidays - especially Valentines Day.

The key would be to find a reputable florist well before any major holiday and do a "test run" on their roses. If they are pleasing, and the customer service works for you, give them a try.


[color:"red"]@[/color][color:"green"]-->>-[/color][color:"green"]PLEASE NOTE: The following will probably make the rose enthusiasts cringe and for that I apologize.[/color]

(Honestly - you might have more luck and get FAR more for your money by choosing a MIXED bouquet at Valentines Day or Mother's Day.)
They are usually FAR more lush, have a wider variety of the shop's more expensive blooms and the flowers in mixed bouquets tend to have differing fade times and therefore a much longer window of beauty.

Your mixed flowers will last longer, be MUCH more impressive and probably have a fantastic scent, because most florists purchase roses for long shelf life and FORM, not scent.

Most of my clients get major points from their sweeties for 'thinking outside the box' and sending sophisticated mixtures of a selection of lilies, amazing orchids, colorful callas or even tropical bouquets for close to the same cost as typical red roses!

This makes the point to the recipient that the sender put more thought into the selection of something "original" & unique and not just something typical for their sentimental show of love on Valentines Day.

A rule of thumb with florists roses is that in the realm of floral industry colored rose "exotics" - like purples, whites, paler yellows and peach colors might tend to have delicious scent, but by the time they reach you during V-Day season, will probably not live very long. Reds, pinks and bi-colored roses have longer shelf lives and usually don't have much scent to speak of.)

Hope this helps to make ordering flowers easier, your blooms longer lasting and thereby more romantic!

[color:"red"] Here's to Breathtaking Romance! [/color]
<img src="/images/graemlins/lovers.gif" alt="" />

what about buds on my bushes, this past spring and summer the budgs were really small and many didnt open, in the past its been great, I water them a lot, I live in So california so its hot

Letitia,
I'm sure I don't have to remind anyone living in Southern California of the horrific heat we endured this spring and summer.
When a rose is stressed one of the coping mechanisms is a reduction in blooms.
Many things can stress a rose bush, too much water, not enough water, high wind and extreme heat.
So I'm sure in the case of your roses the extreme heat we had this year was the culprit.
Roses will bloom less and the blooms will be smaller than normal in that kind of condition.
Now that things have cooled down are you seeing some improvement?

Cheers,
Dove
(PS I grew up very new you, in Chino)

Actually yes, thanks DOV, I really dont know much about plants but I love my rose bushes and I was imagining they were coming down with some strange no-buds-forever disease. I didnt think about their stress because they dont yell when they are upset... ( he-he)

*LOL*
Too funny... you're right it's easy to overlook when your roses don't toss and turn in their beds at night.

Just to go back a bit, it has to be borne in mind that roses grown for valentine's day are forced....the correct seasons for roses re usually June onwards, so it's already pretty unnatural for them to be out and blooming at this stage....and yes, unopening buds, or 'bud-droop' are classic signs (in this case) of stress....

here's a tip which I swear, has worked for me every time... even with bud-droop, if you catch it quickly enough...(ie, when you get the roses, the heads are erect, but you notice them starting to droop before you manage to get them into water...)

ONE: Cut at least an inch off the bottom. DO NOT BASH OR CRUSH THE STEMS.... Can YOU drink with a fat lip....??!!

TWO: Find a good deep bucket, and fill it with hot water. No, not warm - HOT.

THREE: Place the roses in for at least a half hour, or until the water goes cool.

FOUR: Transfer to your chosen vase, in cool (not cold) water.

Yor roses should revive and be happy for quite some time.