Where Are the Roses in the Rose City?

August 18, 2008 10:28 PM

Where can I buy a whole lot of roses in Portland, OR? Or online?

I am going to need a lot of roses soon, like 300 stems. I would love to be able to buy them in bulk locally. The wholesalers I've found so far only sell to licensed florists and florists seem pretty interested in selling arranged flowers. Any recommendations for places that would like to sell me a whole lot of roses at a good price? Are there secret u-cut rose farms? Farmer's markets? Wholesalers that sell to the public? Right now I am thinking of just ordering them through a local grocery store.

And, since I may not find what I want locally, I'm also interested in recommendations for places to buy bulk roses online (and finding out how that experience went for you).

Thanks!

posted by slowfasthazel to Shopping (4 answers total)

Years ago, like 5, I had friends who did a wedding on a shoestring budget. Turns out that the US government subsidizes rose growers in Columbia because the rose likes the same soil as the poppy. Interesting, no?

Anyway, they ordered the most amazing looking roses I've EVER SEEN, shipped air, overnight, from Columbia. They got something like 2 gross (288) roses including shipping for like $180. Or something insane. Of course, that was 5 years ago.

The website they ordered from was www.globalrose.com

Looking now you can get 250 short-stems of "Classy" red roses for $132.50.
posted by TomMelee at 6:08 AM on August 19, 2008

For what it's worth, many of the long-stem roses that wholesalers get from the growers come in cases of 4-8 (depending on the size of the rose) 25-stem bunches. You could almost certainly find a local florist willing to get a couple cases for you. Just let them know you only want the cases of roses, and you don't need them processed or arranged. You might have a little better luck inquiring in person at a florist, and speaking with the owner or the buyer, instead of calling on the phone. Also, some floral wholesalers will sell to anyone with a business license -- not necessarily a floral business -- so if you know someone with a business license, that might get you in the door at a wholesaler. And finally, a google search for bulk roses online brings up several options for buying online. I can't speak to the reputability of any of those companies, but for example, theflowerexchange.com appears to have long-stem roses available in bulk for a little over a buck a stem.
posted by Balonious Assault at 7:00 AM on August 19, 2008

Seconding GlobalRose. I ordered 500 roses from them for my wedding. They were perfect. Make sure you order them a few days in advance so they have time to open, and have a good plan for where you're going to condition them. Get a bunch of big tubs or painters buckets that are nice and clean so you can fill them with water. And don't forget you'll have to clean the roses if you don't want thorns on them.
posted by theantikitty at 7:25 AM on August 19, 2008

If you're a member of Costco, you can get them that way.
125 stems for $155.00
posted by Stewriffic at 11:54 AM on August 19, 2008