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I have been curious about all the above since recently purchasing roses for my daughter's birthday. She took them back to college and called me a few weeks later to say that they had sprouted new leaves. I advised my daughter to ask her Botany professor what was going on and haven't heard back yet. I bought mine from a local grocery chain that has a nice floral dept.--next to the produce dept. I couldn't believe how much less a dozen roses cost to purchase in-store than delivered by a florist & the selection ranged from yellow with red tips to buff with pink tips. We had plenty of vases on hand, so I just purchased the bouquet. Total cost: $15. At Wal-Mart, you pay only $10, but didn't look as fresh & smaller selection! We were curious as to where these beautiful and inexpensive roses came from in mid-winter and how to keep them fresh. We used the free food packet provided with our purchase. Thanks for doing the research and providing all the helpful tips. My daughter's room mate also enjoyed the roses, so I may start bringing flowers when I visit. : )
Sprouted new leaves? Wow! Mine have never done that. . . it sounds like you got a bargain, too. In another 10 days those same roses will be twice as much, or unavailable.
Thanks for reading, and for that comment - sprouted new leaves . . . hmm hmm, thinking.
I don't think I've ever seen ANY florist flowers develop new leaves, but maybe I haven't paid much attention to the leaves. Carrie, your rose advice is right on. I often buy fresh flowers, especially during the winter when I have nothing growing-on in the garden. My favorite buy is a dozen beautiful roses from Fresh Market (a specialty grocery store) for $8.99 (they used to be $7.99). I've had them last for over 2 weeks using the method you describe. I don't change the water every day...I either don't have time or forget, but I do change it out and trim the stems about an inch every 2-3 days. I've had the leaves dry up before the blooms so I just go cut something green from outside to add to the bouquet.
When cut roses start to look sad, take them out of the vase, tie the stems together at the base and hang them upside down in a cool airy place. They will dry and you can keep them for months!
