Garden roses are truly special due to their breathtaking size and unique shape. Their lush, full blooms and captivating fragrance set them apart, making them a perfect choice for any occasion, especially weddings! When peonies are out of season, garden roses serve as an excellent alternative, offering similar beauty and elegance. Unlike standard roses, garden roses have a more natural, romantic appearance with larger petals and a diverse range of shapes! 

The most popular varieties of garden roses used for our weddings at Flowers by Janie are the Pink O’Hara and White O’Hara! The David Austin garden rose variety Juliet (peach) and Princess Japanese Garden Rose Miyabi are also quite popular.

Fun fact: some garden roses can have over 100 petals per bloom, creating their signature lush, full appearance!

Checkout some of our favourite garden rose bridal bouquets and wedding floral designs below!

About 95% of our garden roses are sourced from luxury garden rose farm, Alexandra Farms where they grow over 60 varieties of garden roses in Colombia. As an Alexandra Farms Certified Designer, she has a deep appreciation for their incredible blooms! She even won a few of their garden rose design awards: 2nd place in the 2022 Everyday Category and 3rd place in the 2023 Wedding Category!

In February 2023, Janie had the opportunity to visit Alexandra Farms and was amazed by the incredible beauty of their flowers.

For our recent Roses + Red Velvet Floral Workshop, we featured a few locally grown BC spray garden roses from Eurosa Farms, but many of the feature garden roses were from Alexandra Farms! Plus, we had a fun surprise for our attendees—Janie designed a stunning garden rose hanging installation!

The Garden rose varieties that we used from luxury garden rose grower Alexandra Farms:

• Pink O'Hara
• Miyabi (Janie's personal favourite because of its beautiful colour and longevity)
• Constance
• Beatrice
• Precious moments
• Mayra's rose
• Edith
• Millicent
• Darcey
• Mariatheresia
• Princess Hitomi
• Princess Maya Cream

Read more about Janie’s trip to Alexandra Farms here!

Learn more about Alexandra Farms and their garden roses here!

Follow these tips to ensure your blooms stay fresh and vibrant for as long as possible:

Checkout this website for more details! 

• Use clean containers or vases with fresh, cool water.
• Add floral food to prevent bacteria from forming in the water and to give nutrients to your roses.
• Remove any leaves below the water line to prevent bacteria from growing.
• Use sharp scissors or a knife to cut the stems about 1 inch diagonally from the bottom.
• Place them in the water immediately.
• Change the water every 1-2 days or when the water becomes cloudy.
• TIPS: Protect the garden roses from direct sunlight, drafts, or excessive heat. Warmer environments will help them bloom, while cooler environments will slow down the opening process.

Want to grow your own garden roses at home? Read tips on this website to get started!

We just hosted our first ever Roses and Red Velvet workshop at Studios at Vic Park at the end of June and it was such a wonderful time! Attendees got to design luscious garden rose arrangements with other beautiful blooms and greenery. The dessert that we paired with the florals was creamy red velvet mini cakes made by Bake My Day!

With Janie's surprise garden rose installation, attendees got to take photos in front of a beautiful floral setup full of garden roses! We even got to do a photoshoot with model Mildred Rincon (with makeup done by Megan Johnston) and a team photoshoot with photographer Tara Whittaker before the workshop started! At the end of the night, we took apart the installation so that everyone got to take home all of the extra garden roses and other blooms!

Thank you to everyone for attending and sharing the gorgeous garden rose experience together with us! Interested in another one of our floral workshops?

Make sure to sign up for our annual Dahlias & Donuts workshop on September 12th!!

Photography Credits:

Genevieve Renee Photography | Tara Whittaker Photography | Heidrich Photography | Justine Milton Photography | Natalie Andrusiak Photography | Mcurran Photo