Roses are red, violets are blue. These first two lines of a nursery rhyme are probably very descriptive of the color of the vast majority roses. When roses were first grown in Colombia to send to the United States, many farms grew mainly, or in some cases only, the red variety Visa from the breeder Meilland. The history of the major reds grown in Latin America has been dominated by Visa, Madame Delbard from Delbard, Royalty/Vega and Classy from Hills, Charlotte from Rosen Tantau, then Forever Young from Hills and finally Freedom from Rosen Tantau. While hundreds of varieties of other colors have split the market, these seven have dominated plantings.

A new variety of fragrant, bi-color Wendy-Kristy by Dutch rose breeder Jan Spek Rozen are named for Wendy-Kristy Hoogerbrugge, Miss Netherlands Earth 2013.Times have changed. As roses became more common, and more consumers began to purchase roses on a regular basis, they started to look for more variety in colors. Whites, different shades of pink, yellows, and bi-colors have taken a larger share of the market. When roses were commonly grown in the United States and Canada, sweethearts were common.

Once larger-headed roses grown high in the Andes Mountains in Colombia and Ecuador started to strongly penetrate the North American market, most growers in the United States and Canada were forced out of the rose-growing business due to the great difference in quality, as judged by head size and stem length. Selling a smaller rose at a higher price was not a viable proposition.

The remaining growers in the United States are successful growers of specialty flowers and flowers that can be in the hands of high-end florists and consumers in a very short time period after cutting.

Now the market is searching for a much greater diversity of roses. Spray roses have taken away most of the market for sweetheart roses, as it is much more efficient to cut and pack at least four buds on one stem than the same size flower but one to a stem. From the high flower count but normally very small sprays from Interplant, to the larger-headed spray roses such the Irischkas from Jan Spek Rosen, and the line such as Gem Star and Orange Star from International Rose Breeders, long-lasting sprays that have flowers with a classic shape occupy an important niche in the market.

Times are changing. Very few years ago, the Russians wanted very long stems (three feet long or longer) and large flower heads of nearly three inches in height. The collapse of the Russian ruble, and increased purchasing for self-consumption, has pushed part of that market toward smaller and cheaper flowers, opening the door to more flowers from Kenya and Ethiopia.

What are breeders looking for in their programs today? The key in hybrid teas now is generally a very productive plant, even if the roses are slightly smaller and the stems shorter. With the current overproduction, reducing growing costs per stem can only alleviate the pressure on prices. The main way in any growing area to reduce growing costs per stem is by increasing the number of stems a rose plant produces in a year, and this starts with selecting the right genetics. Varieties that do not travel well also add to quality complaints and credits. Varieties that are an example of ones that meet these characteristics are the cream-colored rose Vendela from Rosen Tantau and the red/yellow bi-color Tutti Frutti from Jan Spek Rosen.

For the more sophisticated flower consumer, specialty lines such as the Wild ‘n Rare from Jan Spek Rosen, which includes SAF Best Rose and Best of Show award-winning roses such as Hearts from Jan Spek Rosen and a number of other specialty roses. Most are classified as “garden types” by the trade. Many are from less productive plants and command a premium price from discriminating consumers in the market.

Another related group are the fragrant varieties. These roses in most cases (with some exceptions such as Wendy-Kristy from Jan Spek Rosen) do not last as long a typical hybrid tea but must travel well and hold up for events and other specialty uses. From fragrant but normal shapes such as Crème Brulee from Hills, to the English garden-shaped David Austin roses, many breeders are crossing and selecting roses for this niche market.

Although the vast majority of the market is still in basic shapes and colors, the specialty roses will probably gain market share in coming years as more consumers become interested in exploring the diversity of rose genes manifested in novelty roses.

Erik Spek is the director of Jan Spek Rozen in the Netherlands. He can be contacted at [email protected]. Dean Rule is general manager at Conectiflor in Quito, Ecuador. He can be contacted at [email protected].