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The Ultimate Guide to the Best Red Valentine's Day Roses

A florist' guide to which red roses to have for Valentine's.

By: THURSD. | 18-01-2023 | 9 min read
Roses Valentine
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Lingerie, chocolate, or perfume? Your crush will be charmed, that’s for sure. But nothing beats the gift of fresh blooms for Valentine's Day. We all know red roses put “be mine” in a different league.

The Best Red Roses for Valentine's Day 

Giving flowers for Valentine's Day is a classic romantic gesture. Chances are someone in your life will love receiving a few long stems- even if it's just your mom. So, whether you have a crush on someone, or you are already in a whirlwind romance, take a peep at this list of red roses that get lovers in the mood for the most romantic holiday of the year. Below is a list of the best red roses for Valentines day you can choose from.

 

Red roses for valentine's day

 

Valentine's Day Roses Are Mostly Red

The rose is still a preferred beauty for something a little more romantic. Unsurprisingly, red roses are at the top of the list for lovers. The Red Naomi, Rhodos, Freedom, Madam Red, Hearts, and Ever Red are among some of the most popular red roses we'll see everywhere. Here's a full list of red roses every florist and their friends are dreaming about ahead of Valentine’s day.

Valentines Rose 'Red Naomi'

Besides the fact that she has it all: long stems, outstanding transportability, and superb vase life, she is your go-to red rose with an extremely large flower head plus a subtle scent. Pamper any lovers' senses with this all-time favorite red rose, the Red Naomi!

Valentines rose 'Rose Red Naomi'

As one of the leading specialists and the youngest breeding company in the field, Breeder Schreurs is proud of its long-term showpiece that is grown by Porta Nova among other growers in the high-end rose circuit. Red Naomi!'s large red, dense, and lightly fragrant petals with relatively few thorns will give you exactly what you need for Valentine's; that sweet escape from the mundanity of everyday life.

Rose 'Ever Red' Is Always a Good Choice for Valentine's Day

People are drawn to flowers more than ever. Red roses aren’t essential, but they’re emotional: as society capsizes around us, we search for even the smallest slivers of joy. Beautiful blooms such as the Ever Red rose  - with their bright color, big head size, and symmetry - provide the brief solace we desperately seek. Ever Red is created by breeder De Ruiter.

Ever Red roses are perfect for Valentine's Day
Ever Red roses of Decofresh roses, credits by Tom de Houwer

 

Rose Ever Red is a red bright blooming rose that can really define any bouquet or flower decoration. The rose has a velvet red hue, good length, and vase life and is offered by Fresco Flowers from grower Timaflor.

Red Rose 'Con Amore' for Valentine?

Rose Con Amore is the new love of grower Arie van den Berg. He invested heavily in this new red rose and has planted quite a substantial amount of plants in his greenhouse in the Netherlands. Con Amore roses are created by  Breeder Kordes Rosen.

After a long search over several years visiting various breeders, Berg RoseS has selected the Con Amore from Kordes Roses. A part of Avalanche+ and the Avalanche Candy+ was cleared and 21,000 m² of Rose Con Amore was planted. Con Amore is an elegant rose with bright red color and a broad bud.

Con Amore Roses - Heart shaped floral design with roses
Picture by @il_camuciolo

 

The Con Amore’s strengths are that the rose does not suffer variegated discoloration, is not easily damaged, has no dark spots, and does not ripen too rapidly, according to Johan Berk of Kordes Roses.

Red Rose 'Red Eagle'

Also a Kordes roses variety. And the name says it all. Rose 'Red Eagle' is a stunning red rose by grower van der Arend Roses. The Dutch word 'Arend' translates to 'eagle'.

Valentines roses 'Red Eagle Roses'

The bud of the Red Eagle rose is a seductive hourglass shape that opens into a beautiful round red rose, with somewhat curled leaves. The bright red is maintained throughout the entire flowering season. The Red Eagle rose is a very desirable one.

Editor's Note: Due to the high gas prices, the grower decided in 2023 to have the greenhouses unheated. Therefore, there's no availability this Valentine's for Red Eagle roses. Later this year the grower will get back into production.

Rose 'Explorer' for Your Valentine

Explorer roses are grown at numerous farms in South America. It's one of the most wanted red roses in the US.

 

Red Rose Explorer for Valentine's
Picture by @Iren_flowers_w.love

 

Explorer Red Roses exude luxury. A medium red center transitions to a darker outer petal for an elegant look. A favorite for Valentine's Day and formal events. EQR is one of the farms growing heavy-quality Explorer roses. Explorer is romantic, sophisticated, and sensual. The color of its petals, which seem like velvet, is an intense crimson that shades off to a darker tone. A red flower with a strong personality.

Red Rose 'Rhodos'

The unique selling point of Rhodos Roses is that they travel very well and can be stored dry in a box for 2 weeks, and still have a very long vase life. It has a vibrant red color and the commercial value for the florist is really good. Rhodos is a De Ruiter variety and is grown in Kenya, foremost by the PJ Dave group.

Red Roses 'Rhodos' - perfect for Valentines

Rhodos roses have good stems for hand ties, as no thorns, so there's no need for stripping. Rhodos has a big dark red head so it is good as a single rose as well.

Red Rose 'Red Tacazzi+'

Traditionally, the rose is considered the flower of love, which is why red roses are so popular Valentine’s Day gifts. Looking for a new and surprising red rose to have all Valentine lovers get swooped off their feet? The strong red rose Red Tacazzi+ opens with a beautiful swirl, hypnotizing you with its dark red color.

As it is a new variety, Dümmen Orange and its first grower Holla Roses have made the promise to always open and have a vase life that exceeds 14 days! Swirling petals and a dark red color to enjoy for weeks after a romantic date? Calling all Romeo's because they'd be crazy not to choose for this rose.

Red Rose 'Freedom'

After trialing this red rose variety for several years, Rosen Tantau put it on the market under the name Bloody Mary. It was a very good variety, it grows well, has a good head size, great stem lengths, and superior vase life. All was very good, but the US and EU buyers did not purchase the variety. But why? It seemed that the US and EU buyers had negative connotations with the name.

Freedom Roses in gift wrapping
Picture by @lupitasfloralshop

 

After the people of German breeder Rosen Tantau changed the name to Freedom, the sales increased drastically. Currently, it is their best-grown variety in Colombia and Ecuador – the only countries in which this variety is grown. The freedom roses have large, cup-shaped blooms with a velvety texture. The petals are a traditional, true red, making them perfect for any type of event.

Rose 'Mayra's Rose Red'

You have probably heard of Mayra's roses of Continental Breeding. It is a garden rose that has the same characteristics as a regular cut rose and was introduced in South America in 2015, where it quickly gained popularity. Last year, Continental Breeders introduced it to Kenyan growers and it is currently being produced at a couple of high-altitude farms in Kenya. Garden rose Mayra's Red is a garden rose-shaped bloom, with sweet swirls of leaves in a perfect bridal rose shape.

 

Rose Mayra's Red

 

This deep red garden rose will add femininity to your special day. And while Mayra's red is really perfect for wedding arrangements, it does not do justice to the versatility of this charming flower. For sure, this deep red variety opens wide, with lots of ruffled petals adding a romantic feel to any arrangement!

David Austin Rose 'Tess'

On a holiday such as Valentine's you better make sure to immerse your lover in some of the most breathtaking beauties. Especially in these cold and distant times. Rose Tess by Alexandra Farms is part of the luxury cut rose collection of David Austin, a rose breeder in wedding and event roses.

The hue and slightly off-traditional-red-rose-variant might convey deep romantic emotions, including that of longing, love, and desire. So better be warned that these side-effects can cause a reduction of distance between the two of you. In the range of red roses, this very English period red rose, Tess, oozes blackcurrant red tones and sparkles with a shimmering gold stamen. The velvety textured and deep ruffles are both dramatic and nostalgic

Red Rose 'Hearts'

After four years of breeding and selection, the people of Jan Spek Rozen conducted test trials in a greenhouse in Ecuador. When the rose flourished, they were amazed. When having a closer look they saw something special about the rose; the heart shape.

Red Rose 'Hearts'
Credit: Rosaprima

 

The heart shape comes from the fact that the rose is cultivated at 2,800 meters above sea level. Only above this level, the rose will have a heart-shaped flower. If a greenhouse is situated in lower areas, the shape of the rose will be 'standard'. And is named differently. The heart-shaped rose, cultivated in higher areas, is called Rosa Hearts, and the 'standard' shaped rose, cultivated in lower areas, is called Wanted.

Red Rose 'Madam Red'

Madam Red is a red large-flowered rose created by breeder United Selections. It is a rose that is very suitable for cultivation in Kenya. Fresco Flowers offers Madam Red from growers Kisima, Lolomarik, and Mount Kenya flowers and is mainly bought by wholesalers. 

 

Rose Madam Red

 

Madam Red roses have thick stems but no thorns, so no need for stripping and shiny dark leaves. A large-headed, versatile rose that’s good for both hand ties and single-stem sales.

Rose Black Gold® Meiniffyck

As a Meilland 2020 breakthrough novelty and exclusively grown at Akina Farm, the Rose Black Gold® Meiniffyck can be added to the most-wanted Valentine's rose list as a wonderful thornless rose. But something about this rose makes it one that's a bit different than usual.  

Rose Black Gold

It is shiny red, but with dark red outer petals. So it's moody ánd romantic.. what's not to love? Drenching all those hopeless romantics in this stunner seems nothing more than necessary to make our upcoming Valentine's Day extra special. You can read the article about the introduction in April 2020 of this rose here: 'Meilland Novelty – Rose Black Gold® Meiniffyck'.

 

There Are Many Red Roses for Valentines

So, what to choose? There are many great red roses, and also ones that are not on this list. Do you have a suggestion for an extra variety? Send your input to [email protected], and perhaps this variety will be mentioned as well!

 

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