‘Speaking Blossoms’ spray rose premieres at Dutch flower auction

Rosa ‘Speaking Blossoms’.

AALSMEER, Netherlands: One of the latest breeding breakthroughs in roses, Rosa ‘Speaking Blossoms’ made its début at the world’s largest flower auction Royal FloraHolland in Aalsmeer last month. The rose is a creation of Dutch breeding company United Selections and grown by Braam  Roses in Ziway, Ethiopia.

While long-stem roses produce only one bloom per stem, spray rose ‘Speaking Blossoms’ has multiple blooms. According to United Selections’ commercial manager Peter Schrama the rose has between four to six heads on one stem. The bud count depends on the available stem length, which is 40, 50 and 60cm.

‘Speaking Blossoms’ premiered in the heigt of  summer, which is usually a slow season. However, Schrama says that wholesalers greeted the cool new rose variety with enthusiasm. Buyers praised its two-toned pink colour that is sweet, cheerful and energetic alike.

Schrama believes the rose will be a popular choice for florists adding beauty and volume to wedding bouquets, table top centrepieces, and arrangements with visual interest.

What’s more, ‘Speaking Blooms’ features mainly open blooms that look freshly picked from the field and perfectly filling the needs of the ‘welness conscience’ generation that wants to be one with nature.

‘Speaking Blossoms’’s official launch put the new rose in illustrious company of three other top selling spray rose varieties from rose breeder United Selections: ‘Pink Blossoms’, ‘Tender Blossoms’ and ‘Royal Magic’.

‘Speaking Blossoms’ sells under the name of Braam Roses B.V, which has evolved into a quality brand for spray roses. Braam Roses is a Dutch-owned farm spanning more than 20ha. The farm is in Ziway, Ethiopia at an altitude of 1,650 metres, and markets its entire range of spray roses through Royal FloraHolland.

Established growers such as Braam Roses B.V have largely contributed to the brand recognition of the spray rose and growth of the market. With their field flower looks, spray roses continue to ride the wave of popularity. And growers in Africa have heavily invested in new varieties. Currently, there are approximately 250-300 ha down to spray roses in Kenya/Ethiopia, owned by several growers.

Following lengthy and dedicated breeding work, United Selections launched its first spray roses four years ago and has ever since revolutionised the market with sparkling new varieties. ‘Speaking Blossoms’, for example, has a short flush cycle, is highly productive, opens fully, and has a excellent colour retention.

Currently, Braam Roses B.V grows its ‘Speaking Blossoms’ rose on 5,000m2 with more plantings currently ongoing.  Since its official launch there is a constant supply of 50-60 cm stem ‘Speaking Blossoms’ in Aalsmeer daily.