California Pajarosa Floral is a wholesale, luxury cut-rose grower located in Watsonville, CA, about 70 miles south of San Francisco. Roses were first planted on our property in 1979 by our founders, John Furman and Alan Mitchell. All of our greenhouses were self-built by our own employees using steel frames and a double-ply polyurethane covering.

We currently dedicate about 18 of our 55 acres to rose production and our facility is nestled against the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, which offers a coastal microclimate ideal for producing quality roses on a year-round basis. Computerized greenhouses, fertilization systems, and a post-harvest grading machine make it possible to control consistent production in our 760,000-square-feet of greenhouses.

We grow 170-plus rose varieties, including 22 varieties of garden roses, 45 varieties of spray roses, 32 varieties of sweetheart roses and over 80 varieties of hybrid tea roses. We cut about seven million rose stems annually.

In 1992, California Pajarosa became the first rose grower in northern California to institute hydroponic growing methods. While initially an ecological experiment to reduce water run-off, we quickly realized that we were able to grow higher-quality roses while increasing plant density and therefore increasing production per square foot.

We constantly restructure our production to accommodate market trends and demands. All of our roses are closely monitored, and we cut and harvest each variety up to three times daily to achieve an optimal cut point. In order to maintain integrity with the special characteristics of each variety, we are forced to cut each at a different stage of development. This process ensures that California Pajarosa provides quality and reliability on a consistent basis.

We also place a high value on sustainability by recycling all of our materials, including water, and using biological controls to avoid harsh pesticides. We have a locally grown, fresh product and buying local dramatically reduces carbon footprint. We are both VeriFlora and California Grown certified.

Presently, we are the last rose grower still in business in our local area — an area that once boasted more than 100 growers. In addition to roses we grow hydrangea, ranunculus, buddleia, dusty miller, hypericum, kangaroo paws and sunflowers.

I really enjoy being surrounded by all of this beauty and the fruits of our labor every day. When people ask me what I do for a living I tell them, “I’m a professional smile maker.”

Paul Furman is sales manager at California Pajarosa Floral in Watsonville, CA. He can be contacted at [email protected].