I know it's still January, but when I went to A Rose By Harvest's showcase of their 2011 rose collection I couldn't help but get excited for the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday.
The shop is designed as a walk-in refrigerator and it is usually a cool 40-43 degrees Fahrenheit -- but for the showcase the temperature is set at 62 degrees Fahrenheit in order to encourage the roses to open. Managing Director of Wholesale Floral Inc., Natan Alpert, says it's so rare and very exciting to see the roses in full bloom around the store.
The colors of the flowers and the different shapes of the rose petals are unbelievable and varied. Over 98 percent of the roses come from Ecuador and the rest come from Japan. A display of 35 roses on a table in the back of the store are labeled by number and the shop is asking for customers' opinions on the different flowers. Before the growers decide to harvest large amounts of a specific rose they want to see which would be popular and best to sell. It can take years to plant and grow roses -- so it is important for the growers to know what rose people prefer.
Even though there are a couple dozens types of roses at the showcase that are not yet available for purchase, there are hundreds of other varieties available at A Rose By Harvest.
I hope you enjoy my photographs of the second day of the showcase...
1 I love the colors of these roses. There are hundreds of varieties of roses at A Rose By Harvest in New York City.
2 Take a look at the long stems on these roses! They are almost as tall as Blog Editor Cayla Rasi (she is 5'3").
3 The showcase of the 2011 rose collection at A Rose By Harvest displayed their roses almost at full-bloom.
4 Today (Wednesday January 12, 2011) is the last day for the showcase -- the roses will be even more open than when I saw them on Tuesday.
5 On a table at he back of the shop is a display of roses that are not available yet at the store.
6 These roses on the back table are numbered and you are able to rate the roses and tell the rose distributors what you think about their flowers.
7 The reason why you can not buy these flowers yet is because they have not yet been produced in mass amount and the distributors are trying to decide if the flowers would be liked or disliked by rose-buyers.
8 The roses on the table are so unique.
9 A rose that is not yet available in the store. You can see it on display today (Wednesday January 11, 2011) in the shop.
10 Take a look at how perfect the petals are.
11 This rose is called "Snow Ball" and it is available in the shop.
12 These roses are called "Amaretto" and they have beautiful rippled-looking petals.
13 "Combo" is what these gorgeous yellow roses are called.
14 Look at the unique way these flower petals look when the rose opens.
15 I love the multi-colored roses that are found throughout the shop. These do not have a specific name yet, for now they are called "Hay 2003." Some flowers are so new they have not yet been named.
16 "Dovo Verde" is the name of these beautiful roses.
17 A close-up picture of "Dovo Verde."
18 These "Purple Haze" roses are gorgeous! I love the way these flowers have opened.
19 A closer look at "Purple Haze."
20 This beautiful rose is called "Maria Theresa." Take a look at how these flowers have opened.
21 A selection of roses in the store.
22 The flowers are usually kept in the store that is cool and kept at about 40 degrees fahrenheit. For the flower show the shop has a warmer temperature, 62 degrees fahrenheit -- which helps the flowers open.
23 "Prince Jardinier" roses -- Jardinier means gardener in French.
24 A close-up of "Prince Jardinier."
25 Freeze-dried roses are displayed out of their box for the event.
26 You can wire freeze-dried roses into your arrangements and they last a few weeks!
27 More freeze-dried roses.
28 The display is on the stairs at the front of the shop.
29 The display is on both sides of the main door to the store.
30 These roses are called "Ritz."
31 The entire store is a walk-in refrigerator and has hundreds of varieties of roses.
32 A display of flowers.
33 These roses are called "Zazu."
34 The company has been open since 1997 and originally had 5 different refrigerated trucks that went to several locations including Connecticut, New Jersey, and The Hamptons.
35 These roses are called "Big Apple."
36 "Lady Moon" is the name of these roses. I love how all of the roses are blooming.
37 A close-up picture of "Lady Moon."
38 I love seeing gorgeous roses that are multi-colored.
39 "Twilight" is the name of these roses.
40 The rose's name, "Orangina," is fitting. I love the color, it reminds me of my Hermes boxes in my bathroom.
41 This rose is called "Dutchie." I love how silky these petals look at the store -- and even in this photograph!
42 These roses are called "Chillis."
43 Gorgeous! These are called "Wham."
44 The middle flower in this photograph is practically flawless. That type of rose is called "Wanda."
45 A variety of flowers that you can purchase at the shop.
46 "Fado," the rose pictured here, is an elegant shade of pink.
47 "Cumbia" is the name of the roses photographed here.
48 98 perfect of the roses in the shop are from Ecuador, other roses are brought in from Japan.
49 A flower that is not available yet in the shop.
50 Another flower that isn't available yet. I love the shape of the petals!
51 Again, roses that are not available yet. The price of the roses that are available range from 65 cents to $3 a stem.
52 With the temperature raised in the store, the roses are able to open must faster. I love the way this rose's petals fold and take shape in the center.
53 This rose is called "Piano." The way the petals lay is so beautiful. I love the way they fold inside one another.
54 A large selection of different types of yellow roses.
55 These roses are not named yet, so their temporary name is "Hay 2019."
56 A picture of the shop. Anyone can stop by to see their showcase of their 2011 rose collection -- the last day is today (Wednesday January 12, 2011).
57 A close look at a row of roses.
58 I can't believe how gorgeous this rose is, and I love the name ... "Miss Piggy."
59 I love the bicolored roses that you can find throughout the store. This one is called "Crazy One."
60 Another bicolored rose called "Fiesta."
61 A rose called "Sweetness."
62 "La Belle" -- the name of a gorgeous bicolored rose at A Rose By Harvest.
63 These roses are really blooming! These roses are called "Esperance."
64 These roses -- "Silverstone" -- have a color between silver, grey, and purple.
65 This rose, "Darcy," has petals folded so elegantly.
66 "La Lampanella" has a fantastic color and I love the shape of the petals.
67 I love that these petals have a little bit of bicoloring to them.
68 These roses are available for purchase at the store.
69 This beautiful rose looks like the petals are made of velvet.
70 "Black Baccara" roses displayed at the back of the store.
71 These roses are not named yet.
72 There's nothing better to give on Valentines Day than red roses.
73 More perfect roses.
74 Another flawless rose called "Black Magic."
The showcase started on Monday January 10 and the last day is today (Wednesday January 12) -- if you live in the New York City area, you must see the gorgeous display of fully bloomed roses.
Kevin Sharkey 
From: Rowaida Flayhan | 1/12/11 at 4:53 am
Gorgeous and stunning Roses! Kevin, you made my day by reading your beautiful post!
Wish you a wonderful day!
From: giozi | 1/12/11 at 5:35 am
I'm peruvian, but I have to say that the most beautiful rose that I've ever seen is the colombian rose, is simply "bella".
From: chris | 1/12/11 at 8:24 pm
guess you like roses. always wondered how they picked them. truly gorgeous. nice shots. made my day since my in laws returned from a trip. need something nice to look at.
From: Christian / @vfbr2001 | 1/13/11 at 3:05 am
These roses are outstanding. Simply beautiful. I cannot wait for the warmer weather to see my roses bloom this year. Is there an environmental impact importing roses from Japan and Ecuador out of season?
From: Angelika Gerard | 1/13/11 at 7:43 pm
I have just spent a lovely half hour looking at the rose pictures you posted. Thank you for so thoroughly representing your visit. I live in a small town north of Anchorage, Alaska where today's high will be -2. I will live in a grey and white world for at least four more months. Now I have a site to go to get a color fix anytime!