When the three-year old thoroughbred American Pharoah won the one hundred and forty-first running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2, he received the time-honored, 122-inch long, 22-inch wide and nearly 40-pound Garland of Roses, created by floral designers known as the Rose Team at the Kroger Co. in Louisville, KY.

“This is the 28th year that Kroger has been involved in this,” Carol Belser, floral manager at Kroger Buechel Bypass in Louisville, told The Produce News. “The design of the rose garland hasn’t changed, although the rose varieties have — we are into the Freedom rose now and it performs beautifully.”

Belser explained that the florists sort through over 7,000 red roses to find the more than 400 best blooms, which are inserted into individual water vials, hidden inside the garland backing on a layer of greens, and hand-sewn into the classic green satin.

Each one of the over 400 roses in the Garland of Roses is hand-sewn by Kroger’s Rose Team into the garland’s backing of greens.“In the midsection of the rose garland is a crown of roses and, depending on how many thoroughbreds are racing in the Derby, that’s how many roses go into the crown,” said Belser. “If there are 17 thoroughbreds, then there are 17 roses in the crown in the center of the garland.”

As a symbol of the struggle and heart needed to reach the Winner’s Circle, a special rose is placed in the center. Custom-made ribbons are tied on both ends of the garland and also to the crown of roses.

The crafting of the Garland of Roses has become an event in itself in Louisville.

“The first rose goes in at 4 p.m. on Friday (Derby eve) and they finish up about midnight. There are many people involved, but there are four people who actually do nonstop stitching of the garland — we hand-stitch every rose,” Belser said. “The garland goes on display for the public to come in and view it through the night at a 24-hour Kroger store. We have security to guard it during the night and we present it to Churchill Downs the following morning.” Last year, more than 6,000 people came to the all-night event.

In addition to the rose garland, Belser told The Produce News that Kroger also created the Oaks Garland, which was given to Lovely Maria as the winner of the Kentucky Oaks race on May 1. It contained more than 140 lilies bordered by oak ivy leaves, was 116 inches long, 20 inches wide and weighed about 20 pounds.

“The Oaks Garland is known as the ‘Lilies for the Fillies,’” said Belser. “The lilies are the white Starfighter lily, supplied by Dreisbach Wholesale Florist in Louisville. This will be the 24th year Kroger has continued the Oaks Garland tradition.”

After the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby races, the special backings of both garlands are presented as souvenirs to the winning horses’ owners.

“One end is embroidered with the seal of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the other end is embroidered with the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs and the number of the event’s year [this year, 141],” said Belser.

The Rose Team also designs the jockey’s bouquets and the floral urns for the winner’s circles. So, along with the thoroughbreds, the beginning of May for the florists at the Louisville Kroger Co. has definitely become a “Run for the Lilies” and a “Run for the Roses.”