The wedding season is on! Or not? According to Colombian garden cut rose grower Jose Azout of Alexandra Farms, more and more weddings are being moved to fall and also this year, it has been a bit slow so far. "No longer the 20% increase we had seen in the past", he says.
October the biggest month now
The wedding season in the northern hemisphere used to be in the summer months. "Then, people can get married outside." However, in the last 3 to 4 years, Azout has seen that many weddings are being moved to the fall - September and October - and the early Spring - May. "Our biggest month is now October."
Also so far, the demand has been a bit slow. "We no longer have the 20% increase we had in the past." But hopes are strong for September and October.
Juliet and Purity - David Austin Wedding and Event Roses.
Trend towards pastel colors
Alexandra farms grows garden roses on 19 ha in Bogota and the majority of their flowers (65%) goes to the USA and Canada, followed by Russia and the Netherlands. Juliet, a David Austin wedding and event rose is their most popular wedding variety afar many years now. "It is a beautiful peach tone and is a deep cup-shaped roses."
Over the last years, Azout has seen a trend towards sand and pastel colored roses. "We have therefore increased our trials and selections relating to those colors. We already have some in the market such as Golden Mustard, Amnesia, Tiara, Caramel Antike, and Miyabi."
Clockwise: Caramel Antike, Golden Mustard, Miyabi and Tiara.
Weather not too bad
Fortunately, the weather has not been too bad this year, explains Azout. "Luminosity is up a bit (which helps production) and in relation, water is a bit scarce as there is less rainfall than normal."
Exhibitions
Curious about the flowers of Alexandra Farms? In the coming months, they will be on display at their booth at several exhibitions all over the world. The first exhibition will be the FlowersExpo in Moscow, Russia (September 10-12), then the Proflora in Bogota, Colombia (October 2-4) and the IFTF in Vijfhuizen, the Netherlands (November 6-8).
For more information
Alexandra Farms
Email: [email protected]
www.alexandrafarms.com