Identifying Florist Roses: Why It’s Nearly Impossible

Those Gorgeous Bouquet Roses Probably Don’t Have Garden Names

A Florida gardener received two stunning orange florist roses—one a clustered, heavily thorned spray type; the other a classic long-stem Valentine’s rose—and wants IDs to propagate them.

Why Florist Roses Can’t Be Reliably Identified

• Global supply chain: Flowers are flown in from Ecuador, Colombia, Kenya, California, Holland… The same variety may have different names in different markets.
• Breeder codes, not names: Growers use internal codes (e.g., “KORflapei”). Retail names are marketing inventions.
• No garden performance data: Florist roses are selected for vase life, stem length, and bud form—not hardiness, disease resistance, or garden habit.

Your Only Reliable Source

Ask the florist. They have purchase records linking the bouquet to a specific variety and origin. Provide the date and occasion; they may look it up.

Propagation Reality Check

• Even if rooted, most florist roses fail outdoors (see Article 15136).
• The clustered, thorny spray type sounds like a spray rose (often Rosa chinensis hybrids).
• The long-stem Valentine rose is almost certainly a Hybrid Tea bred for greenhouse production.

Better Path to Orange Roses

Buy proven garden varieties from a specialist nursery:

• ‘Tropical Lightning’ (climber, orange blend, fragrant)
• ‘Voodoo’ (HT, orange/yellow/red, strong scent)
• ‘Hot Cocoa’ (Floribunda, smoky orange, disease resistant)
• ‘Julia Child’ (Floribunda, butter-gold, licorice fragrance, very tough)

Your grandmother’s rooting skill is real—apply it to varieties bred for your climate.