We had the opportunity to join Alexandra Farms in Miami, Florida at the beginning of March as they introduced us to three new David Austin varieties – Bessie, Hettie and Millicent. As you can see each Garden Rose carries her own special traits and characteristics.
Bessie
Holds a creamy, caramel color in her core, fading to a traditional cream the more she blooms. Perfect for Spring Wedding Season, paired with more peach forward flowers and even a pop of dusty blue.
Hettie
Bold and vibrant. Although she doesn’t carry that sweet garden rose scent, her color dominates leaving no crumbs when it comes to making a statement. We would love to see her paired with sunset colors to elevate all things romance.
Millicent
Timeless, playful and sweet. What we learned about her during our visit is that she blooms flat and sturdy; this is super relevant for wedding work, as most gardens bloom on the rounder, softer side. Keep things fun and flirty by adding some lavender and yellows into the mix for the ultimate pastel palette.
Although the initial visit was to learn more about these newest additions, we couldn’t help but revisit some of the OG varieties that have been around from the very beginning of Alexandra’s history. The team carefully potted each of their varieties into their own vases. From there we were able to brush up on the education of names, care and handling. We panned the room, taking our time, examining each variety. Pulling stems, admiring the colors, and inhaling their delicious, sweet smell.
Over the years we’ve progressed to interacting regularly, via zoom, email, and phone calls… it’s experiences like these that we feel so grateful for. Something we strive to do more of as a wholesaler is visit our farms and find our way back to our roots because we pride ourselves on collaborating with our partners, being creative, bouncing ideas off of one another, learning new things and further growing our connections. With that being said, we ended the trip with a genuine conversation about Garden Roses; their history and their future in the flower industry.
DVFlora customers can access Alexandra garden roses, including David Austin varieties,
by shopping through our daily, open market inventory online or with a DV sales associate
and we also offer a more wide range of selections via our DV Grower Direct program.
If you don’t see what you’re looking for, let us know!
