Of course you can pick roses right from your garden or at your local florist. But so many times, you can end up with roses that are in poor condition or die before they are ever opened. When you are looking at all those roses, how do you know which ones to choose?

First off, look for any brown spot on the petals. That is a sure sign that the rose is damaged and old.

After you check for brown petals, look at the sepals. Those are the green leaves shaped like spears that wrap around the bottom bud of the rose. If they are still curled around the rosebud, there is still some life in that rose. If they have separated and are closer to the stem, then that rose has a limited time span.

Next, feel the base of the rose, near the stem and the sepals. If the bud is very loose, or squishy, the rose is not very fresh. Also be cautious of a base that’s too hard. Then it’s possible that the rose will die before it ever blooms. Look for a base that’s firm with pedals that have just begun to open. That’s the rose that is most likely to bloom and last the longest.

But let’s not talk just about rose selection. Presentation is important for any gift. First, never send roses without a card. Read the card to make sure that it conveys your sentiments toward your loved one. Sending roses with another gift like chocolate, balloons, or jewelry is a nice touch.

If you like to send gift cards, add a personal note and roses for more personal and thoughtful gift that show you really care.

Follow these simple steps and you will pick the perfect rose every time to surprise your wife or mother with the perfect rose arrangement.

Carefree roses offer low maintenance benefits like disease- and pest-resistance, continuous blooms without dead-heading, and tolerance of shade and cold winters. If you’re looking for some carefree varieties, here are some good selections to start with.

Shrub roses
Also known as landscaping roses, these roses were breed for parks and other public spaces where groundskeepers don’t have time to lavish attention on any one individual plant.

One of the best in this category is the Carefree Wonder^TM. This hardy, disease-resistant cultivar grows as a three-foot rounded shrub and produces dark pink double blooms all through the summer. It’s also tolerant of cool weather and will grow as far north as USDA zone 4.

Carefree Delight^TM is another shrub rose worth looking into. It puts out cotton candy pink flowers with white centers that are attractive even if not particularly fragrant. The downside of this rose is that it tends have a rather straggly appearance when planted alone, but it looks great in mass plantings and or grown as a hedge.

Carefree SunshineTM Rose Rosa ’RADsun’ Zones: The Carefree SunshineTM Rose produces clusters of deep golden yellow buds which open into single, 3-4″ lemon-yellow blossoms. This vigorous, upright growing shrub blooms abundantly from June until October. It also exhibits disease resistant foliage. This rose has its own root. More information…

Carefree WonderTM Rose Rosa ’MEIpitac’ Zones: The Carefree WonderTM displays free flowering roses that have double flowers of radiant hot pink with a creamy pink reverse, creating an extremely attractive show.The Carefree Wonder has bright green disease resistant foliage. It is suitable for hedges and mass plantings. 1991 AARS Winner. More information…

Floribunda roses
Dedicated rose gardeners know floribunda varieties are some of the most trouble-free available. Not all are low maintenance, but most are still more disease resistant and hardier than the average hybrid tea. Among the most popular carefree floribundas is the Iceberg. As the name implies, the blooms are white or off white and the cultivar is tolerant of shade and chilly winters, although it does require frost protection. Pronounced fragrance is another nice feature of this rose.

Two other cultivars known for their hardiness are the Livin’ Easy and Easy Going Floribunda Roses. The vigorous Livin’ Easy produces apricot orange and gold blooms with a strong fruity fragrance. Easy Going is a sport of Livin’ Easy with all the same characteristics, but lighter peachy yellow flowers. Both bloom in flushes throughout the growing season.

While these two categories offer the best selection of carefree roses, they’re by no means the only ones. You’ll also find easy care roses among the Old Garden roses, particularly the China roses, and even Hybrid Tea roses. Ultimately it comes down to identifying which qualities you want most in your roses a variety that can meet your needs.

I’ve also included some of the always popular Knock Out^® roses that are available now. This blog has had several posts recently about these easy to care for roses.

Northern Accents^TM

These roses were hybridized to grow in Minnesota so they are hardy in zones 4-9.

"With recurrent blooming, these hardy shrub roses do not need to be cut down or covered for winter. In the spring, cut off whatever stems do not green up or trim to shape the bush. With bright green disease resistant foliage, being super hardy, and easy to grow, Northern Accents roses add continuous color to the landscape. They are low-maintenance shrubs that produce good showing of hips in the fall."

Northern AccentsTM Lena Rosa ’BAIlena’ A frilly pink blend, everblooming rose that grows 24-30 inches tall. Own Root. More information…	Northern AccentsTM Ole Rosa ’BAIole’ Northern AccentsTM Ole Rose has light pink, everblooming, masses of flowers and grows 30-36 inches tall. More information…
Northern AccentsTM Sven Rose Rosa ’BAIsven’ The Northern AccentsTMSven Rose exhibits unique color ranges from violet to mauve to rich dark pink. Masses of blooms cover this compact, low-maintenance shrub. More information…

Knock Out^® Roses

The original Knock Out^® rose was introduced in 1999 by William Radler and quickly became a favorite of many rose gardeners. These hardy and disease resistant roses can be grown from Canada to Florida. They don’t require deadheading because the bloom repeatedly during the growing season .

The Double Knock Out^® is good for zones 5-9, the rest of the roses on this page are fine for zones 4-9.

Double Knock Out® Rosa ’RADtko’ (PP16,202) Grows into a tight, compact 3 to 4 ft. high shrub/hedge with a non-stop explosion of brilliant red blooms. More information..	Pink Double Knock Out® Rose Rosa ’RADtkopink’ A vigorous shrub with dark pink buds and medium pink cup-shaped blossoms. It is a profuse bloomer. More information…
Rainbow Knock Out® Rosa ’RADcor’ (PP17,346) This vigorous shrub has dark pink buds and bright, medium pink, cup-shaped blossoms that fade to a lighter shade. It is as tough as it is beautiful, and black spot resistant. More information…	Sunny Knock Out® Rosa ’RADsunny’ (PPAF) Produces abundant single 3 inch wide bright yellow flowers with 5 to 6 petals. This bushy, compact and rounded shrub has dark green semi-glossy foliage, resistant to black spot, powdery mildew and rust. More information…

They don’t have to be red
Red may be the traditional color for Valentine’s Day roses, but roses in gentle pink and elegant white can be just as pleasing. In fact, if you’ve been together for a while, why not surprise your honey with something other than the same old bouquet of red roses? Just the right shade of peach or orange can express your passion in a more unique way. For real tradition-breakers, natural green, lavender, and blue roses are also available.

Keep in mind, though, that over the years various meanings have become attached to each rose color. White can be associated with marriage and yellow with jealousy or simply friendship. Choose carefully so your love doesn’t get the wrong idea.

Not all roses smell the same
Calling a rose by any other name may not affect its scent, but other factors certainly will. For instance, heirloom roses (also called antique or old garden roses) typically exude the most intense fragrance of all roses, while modern hybrid teas tend to be weakly scented. In addition to the traditional rose smell, known as damask, you can also find rose scents with spicy, fruity, and musk overtones.

Know your cultivar
Once you know what color and scent you want, you can look for a rose cultivar that meets your requirements. If your sweetie’s the casual, nature-loving type, choose an heirloom rose, such as damask, moss, and rugosa. These have a “wild rose” look with densely packed petals and traditional colors like pink, red, and white.

Modern garden roses, such as floribundas, tend to have a more elegant, sculpted shape and come in a wider variety of colors that appeal to contemporary fashion-conscience folks. Just keep in mind that some combinations can be challenging to find, such as a strongly perfumed tea rose in an unusual color like green or blue.

Despite all the details of colors and cultivars, choosing roses for Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be complicated. Just take a moment to look beyond the usual red modern garden roses and consider whether something a little different might not suit your love’s personality better.

The rose is an undeniable classic in shape and smell, and fresh roses make such an impact that it is hardly surprising that they are so popular.

The last couple of years has seen a huge increase in the options for buying Fair Trade roses, but what exactly does that mean?

Actually Fair Trade is a well thought up name, because it fairly well sums up the idea behind the movement. Not just in the world of roses and flowers, but fruit, coffee, chocolate, a whole selection of products which are made or put together in the poor countries of the world, predominantly African countries.

Instead of harsh working conditions which bring huge profit to the business owners, the Fair Trade model seeks to reward and benefit the communities that produce the goods.

So, an agreed portion of the profits from Fair Trade goods goes back to the community that produced the items, but not just in wages – in fact a lot of these agreements stipulate that the profits must go towards development projects, like water purification or education. The idea behind this is to help build a long term future rather than short term spend.

Fair Trade flowers are produced under environmentally friendly conditions. The growers must meet rigorous standards and avoid using harmful pesticides.

So when you next look for roses or other flowers to buy, don’t forget the Fair Trade option. Look for the Fair Trade Certified logo on the flower sleeves or stems. The power of the internet means that online purchasing increases our choices. Check the details of the Fair Trade agreement, you can even get in touch with the company and ask them for more information.

Then you can go ahead and buy in the knowledge that while you enjoy your flowers, a community elsewhere in the world is reaping the benefits.

For more information about Fair Trade goods, visit:

• Fair Trade Certified Flowers
• Transfair USA

Images courtesy of TransFair USA