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SCIENCE HELPING SYMBOLS OF LOVE LAST LONGER
AUBURN, Ala.__-- Science may not be able to keep love alive, but it
is helping extend the life span of the classic symbol of everlasting
affection -- the rose. That's good news for sweethearts who want to
give roses this year, but are faced with potentially higher prices,
and also good news for the floral industry.
According to Bridget Behe, associate professor of horticulture at Auburn
University, the red rose means "I love you" in the language
of flowers -- hence its popularity as a Valentine's Day gift.
The importance of roses also transcends love. "It is the national
flower and it is one of the most recognizable and economically important
cut flowers in the United States," she added. "USDA statistics
from 1993 show that there were $141 million worth of roses (wholesale
value) grown in the United States. You can double, triple or even quadruple
that figure to get the retail value." That same year, she noted,
430 million stems of U.S.-grown roses were sold here along with another
500 million stems, most imported from South America.
This year, rainy weather in California (the hub of American rose production)
somewhat reduced the domestic supply of roses. More than half of the
roses given this Valentine's Day are expected to be imported from Columbia.
While no shortages are expected, the cost of roses may rise because
of decreased production and increased demand.
Cut roses, though beautiful, are not renowned for longevity, sometimes
wilting and shedding petals within a few days after they are delivered.
"If someone pays $75 for a dozen long-stem roses and they fall
over and die the next day, that's not good for the customer or the industry,"
said Behe.
Behe, who studies production and marketing of floral products through
the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) at Auburn, has been
exploring ways to increase acceptance and enjoyment of fresh-cut flowers,
such as roses, and has found that education is the key.
"With education, people can get flowers to last longer. For example,
sometimes people will buy a rose and it might only last for two or three
days. It might be because it is a poor quality rose, but more often
it is because they don't know how to take care of a rose," she
explained.
A 1994 AAES study conducted in a national test market in Columbus, Ohio,
explored ways to educate consumers. The study involved providing retail
floral departments with brochures and videos that show people how to
take care of flowers after they are purchased.
"My hypothesis was, we teach people about fresh seafood and about
fresh fruit by giving them the product, showing them how it tastes and
teaching them how to prepare it," said Behe. "I thought, why
can't we do this with fresh-cut flowers?"
For the study, trained food demonstrators were stationed in retail stores
to teach people how to select and care for fresh-cut flowers. They used
in-store demonstrations and video tapes and also by provided consumers
with fresh flowers, flower food and informational brochures to take
home.
"We told people to first use a reputable flower professional,"
said Behe. "Some places do a better job than others, and you can
tell if the product is high quality the same way you do with fresh produce."
The educational information explained that "good quality"
fresh-cut flowers will have rigid leaves, all the petals will be intact
and upright and the flower color should be attractive, with no browning
of the petal tips or signs of disease.
Behe said the information also suggested wrapping flowers in tissue
or plastic to transport them home, especially when the weather is cold.
Home preparation suggestions included placing the flowers in warm water
and using flower food. "We told them that the water should not
be too hot or too cold.
If it is comfortable to take a bath in, then it is comfortable for the
flower," she said.
Flower food, which often is included free with cut flowers or can be
purchased from a florist, is specially formulated to help flowers last
longer. "We told consumers to use the food but to read the instructions.
Too much food or too little food is wrong, and we suggested using glass
or plastic vases because metal vases can react with the flower food,"
she added.
The information also explained to consumers how to prepare the flowers
themselves. "We told them to submerge the bottom two inches of
the flower stem in warm water, cut a portion of the stem (the bottom
inch or inch and a half off) and look for an air bubble," said
Behe. "That bubble is what causes bent-neck," she said. "We've
all seen a rose fall over at the head. That's what happens when the
air bubble travels up the stem and gets caught in the weakest part,
which is right at the base of the flower, and the bloom falls over."
Results of the study showed that educating consumers did boost sales.
"We demonstrated about a 28 percent increase in fresh-cut flower
sales over the 11-week study period," she said. "This would
translate to $500 to $1,000 increase in terms of sales, but more importantly
people got more out of their fresh cut flowers by learning how to take
care of them." That resulted in
people buying more fresh-cut flowers to enjoy at home, even if there
was no special occasion to celebrate.
Behe noted that floral sales have increased in Alabama and nationally,
in part because supermarkets have made flowers more accessible and affordable.
"They took them out from behind the glass and offered them at a
lower cost than many flower shops," she said. Supermarkets may
not always provide all the design and delivery services that a florist
offers, but they give consumers another, less expensive option.
So for those Valentine sweethearts who want to make a statement with
flowers, Behe said the opportunities are endless. However, she encouraged
buyers to select carefully, including the color of flower they offer.
"One of my advisors at Ohio State (where Behe attended graduate
school) found that women preferred non-red rose varieties, especially
salmon and light pink, whereas men preferred the red variety,"
she said. That study also showed that people tend to buy what they prefer,
not always what the receiver wants.
By picking the right dealer, the right flower and using science to keep
the flower fresh, the blush of love may remain even longer.
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By:
Katie Smith
February 10, 1995
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