Happy June! It’s the best time of year for flowers – the gardens are bursting with colour and the flower shops are fully stocked with beautiful seasonal offerings. One of the flowers that we’re really appreciating right now (and always!) just happens to be the Birth Month flower for June. Roses are the official flower of the beginning of summer, and are known as the Queen of the Flowers for a reason! Here are three reasons to love roses:

Classic (but not old-fashioned!)

When you think of roses, what do you picture? Some may be put off by the image of an old fashioned bunch of roses and baby’s breath. While this is still a common rose arrangement, these blooms have so much more potential! Here at Poppies, we love to include roses in our garden-style mixed bouquets where they can shine as a feature flower. Roses are a classic for a reason, and have been prized since ancient civilization for their enchanting beauty. They are the Queen Bee of the flower world, and it can easily be found in art, mythology and folklore as a symbol of elegance, love and so much more.

Versatile

Roses have been admired and treasured for so long that people have had plenty of time to discover and create the thousands of varieties that can be found today. The classic red rose may be the first to come to mind, but the sky’s the limit when it comes to roses! They come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, colours and fragrances, both as a cut flower and as a plant. From tiny spray roses to large garden roses, single-petalled wild roses to extra full roses with what seem like hundreds of petals, small rose plants to sprawling climbing roses, the possibilities are endless. There’s a rose for everyone, even the most skeptical, rose-reluctant folks!

Long-lasting

We love roses because they are the complete floral package of beauty, fragrance AND longevity! Fresh roses typically last about a week, and some types, with the proper care, can last even longer. To ensure your roses (and any other flowers) can be enjoyed for as long as possible, re-cut the stems right before putting them in water. Kitchen scissors will work if that’s all you have handy, but a nice, sharp pair of pruners will do the job best. Giving your flowers a fresh cut and fresh water every 2 or 3 days will both keep the flowers looking great and keep the vase water nice and clear as well.