The sea of approximately 18 million roses seen at the annual Rose Parade is more than just roses.
In fact, roses are ordered from all over the world specifically to decorate floats during parades. Most of the roses reportedly come from Colombia and Ecuador, but roses are also being brought in from the Midwest, California, the Netherlands and New York for the big day.
Hand-picked roses must meet a certain head size and stem length to be included in rose showcases.
Flowers selected for the Rose Parade are shipped to float manufacturers using a refrigeration process that maintains the flowers at 32 to 37 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain their condition and freshness.
Flowers are maintained and preserved using water tubes and floral foam. While decorating your float, spray the bottles with a water- and flower-friendly preservative to ensure freshness.
After the parade, volunteers remove the flowers one by one from the floats. Those flowers are recycled and composted into mulch that is used to create new flowers and plants.
The other flowers are then collected into large buckets, arranged into large bouquets, and distributed to local nursing homes in Pasadena and surrounding areas.
