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July 2016: Potted Rose is Houseplant of the month

23 June 2016

The elegant Potted Rose is the Houseplant of the month for July. Summery, romantic and an excellent ‘just stick one of those in as well’ product, get your customers excited about potted roses by highlighting this bloomer in your store. It’s easily done with our POS material, which you can download for free via the link at the bottom of this article.

The story behind the potted Rose

Rosa is an old Latin plant name for the rose. Potted roses are part of this family, and as such they symbolise love, passion, unity and friendship. The primary association with roses is with cut flowers, but potted roses offer the same romantic mood and emotion. Roses originate from the northern hemisphere, particularly China and Europe. The name ‘rose’ is derived from the Celtic word ‘rhodd’, which means ‘red’. Many roses originally had red flowers, but growers have been able to create all sorts of other colours. Most commonly they produced the potted rose - a perfect miniature of the large shrub -   with colours such as pink, orange, yellow and white.   

Production of potted roses

Potted roses as a houseplant are relatively new to the range of flowers and plants. The plants are produced in large modern nurseries where they are grown in large numbers. The process from cutting to finished product lasts 14 to 16 weeks and is carefully monitored in order to deliver as healthy a plant as possible. 

What to look for when buying potted roses

Potted roses are classified according to the pot size, diameter and density of the plant, the number of buds, the ripeness and - of course - the colour. They come in a variety of different forms: mini, standard and dish (mini, standard, dish). When buying, check that the plant is free of pests and diseases. Most common are mildew (white coating on leaf or stem) and aphids. If the flowers or leaves are damaged or flawed, this is often caused by transportation and storage. There may also be withered flowers on the plant, or the plant may have yellowed leaves because of conditions which were too wet or too dry. Botrytis can occur if too much moisture (condensation) is left between the leaves for a long time. It is important not to buy a plant which is too unripe, particularly during the darker months. A lack of light can cause the buds to drop off easily or fail to open. Every grower has his specialisms: it’s important to find the right quality to match your shop. A few comparison tests will provide you with considerable insight.

Choice of potted roses

The potted rose can be used indoors as a houseplant, but can also be placed in the garden in the summer, in both beds and pots. The wide variety of colours and flower sizes makes it a popular plant with many consumers. This popularity is also thanks to a considerable improvement in the range and innovations. It’s a classic ‘wrap it and go’ plant which also does well as a gift and as a flowering plant for special days. 
The varied range of potted roses is marketed by 5 or 6 different potted rose growers, almost all of whom supply their own range, usually with a mix of colours: red, orange, yellow, white, pink, lilac, salmon, bi-coloured and scented varieties. Potted roses are often sold by colour with the name of the series or range to which the colour belongs. Common series include Parade, Patiohit, Palace, Kordana and Forever.

Care tips for customers

  • With the right care a potted rose can flower profusely for a long time. The plant prefers a light spot both indoors and outdoors, and cannot cope with drying out: the soil should always be slightly damp. 
  • Plant food or special rose food is recommended once every two to three weeks to keep it flowering profusely for a long time. 
  • Carefully remove exhausted flowers. Make sure that the buds are thereby not damaged. 
  • When the plant has finished flowering indoors, the potted rose can be pruned back to approx. five centimetres above the soil and be planted in a bed outdoors or be placed in a pot on the balcony or patio. The potted rose will then flower vigorously again as a garden rose after about two months. 
  • When used as a garden plant, the potted rose can be pruned in February down to 5 cm above the ground. The plant will then flower outdoors from May to October. 
  • The potted rose is purely for decoration and is not suitable for consumption.  

Sales and display tips for the Potted rose

It’s easy to target special days with potted roses: red for Valentine’s Day, yellow for Easter, orange for autumn, white for December. Placing them in a pot which reinforces the seasonal mood will strengthen the sales trigger. Ideally place the trays so that customers can look down on the flowers: that’s the potted rose’s best angle. And keep potted roses in the sleeve as much as possible in store. Not only does it protect the leaves and flowers, but it makes the potted rose – which has thorns just like a true rose – slightly easier to handle when it comes to picking it up and wrapping it.

Images of Potted rose 

You can download the images below free of charge.

Potted Rose poster

You can download the poster using the link below. 

07_poster-uk-potted_rose.pdf