Are you ready for a brown rose?

It can take seven years or more to bring a new hybrid rose to market.  But it's almost impossible to predict what will sell.  A grower has just rolled out a chocolate brown rose called 'Terra Nostra', but now the question is:  do you want it?  Would you buy this rose?

UPDATE:   First of all, thanks to all the Modern Bride readers who have gotten in touch with me about Flower Confidential.  You can order an advance copy online or from your local independent bookseller.  It'll be in stores by February 9.

Wow, I guess you are ready for a brown rose!  So many people have contacted me to ask where they can get this rose that I thought I'd better provide some more information.  First, please remember that the hottest new varieties of flowers are not always available at your local florist.  Florists can work magic, but they can't always perform miracles!  Having said that, 'Terra Nostra' was bred by the French rose breeder NIRP International. Their website is under construction, but here is a link to their contact information and a list of distributors who may be able to get their products. Good luck!

ANOTHER UPDATE:  Please check out this post for more information.  Sorry, brides, this is all the help I can give you right now.

Comments

[Heather]

Would I ever send brown roses to someone or buy them for my own home? No way. But I could see them used for weddings where there's an earth toned color theme. I used Leonidas roses for my wedding, which can tend toward a cinnamon color on the inside of the petals. This reminds me of that a bit.

[Angela]

I think they're cool.

[Genie]

You know, when I saw the beginning of your post in Bloglines, I thought exactly as Heather did -- they would be great for a wedding where the colors were complementary. I think a bouquet of these tied with a cream ribbon would be gorgeous. Then again, what do I know...I'm no decorator.

I would buy them, I think, just because they're interesting -- much more so, I think, than the flower-shop-standard deep red rose. And I think they'd look really cool in a bouquet mixed with white and yellow roses, too.

All that being said, I almost never actually buy roses, and I've pretty much hammered into all the men in my life that I'd so much rather get a bouquet of tulips or gerberas than roses.

Genie
The Inadvertent Gardener

[Claire Splan]

Ha! In the language of flowers, do we have to wonder what it means to give someone brown roses?

[mac]

I would definitely plant one of these babies in my garden. All my other roses are shades of pink - not because I like pink, but it just happened that way. These lovely chocolate roses would be a great complement.

[Molly]

Interesting, but I'm more a dark chocolate kind of person. These look like milk chocolate. Now if they had a chocolate fragrance, as well. . . .

[Firefly]

In a word, no.

I never understood green flowers -- isn't the point that the flowers are supposed to stand out from the leaves? -- and now I don't understand a flower that is the same color as soil.

Maybe I just have a crayon drawing in my head, but I like brown dirt, green leaves, and red, yellow, orange, white, and blue (especially blue!) flowers.

[Christa]

Interesting. My initial reaction was that these roses look dead! Personally, I probably wouldn't buy them, but I can see the appeal they might have for weddings or chocolate-themed events.

[Carol]

Why am I suddenly craving a piece of chocolate?

[Reading Dirt]

I've seen chocolate-themed gardens. I even have a blog post about a chocolate garden in a can that was featured on Amazon. I know gardeners associate "brown" with "dead," having learned the association from hard experience, but brown comes in so many delicious shades that some brown flowers are coming into fashion. Well, think of Fritillaria meleagris, the good old Guinea hen flower. I grow a Pacific Northwest native cousin, Fritillaria affinis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria_affinis), known sometimes as the checker lily and sometimes as the chocolate lily (though the latter really belongs to Fritillaria biflora).

What colors does one match chocolate-colored flowers with, though? Creamy white? Pale pink?

[Laurie]

"Wow, crazy. They look like they're dead."

That was my husbands comment on walking into the room and seeing the brown roses on the screen.

Would I buy them? No. Would he? I hope not.

[Jane Perrone]

That pic looks like it's been tinted - like the crazy-coloured "bright blue" rose pictures you used to get in garden catalogues in the early eighties - they were never really that colour, rather a muddy lilac. I love my chocolate cosmos but I am not sure about a chocolate rose ...

[lilymarlene]

They don't look brown to me.....more a deep dusky pink....a very old rose colour. Absolutely beautiful!

[Pam/Digging]

Yep, I'd try them, if I lived somewhere tea roses would grow. I think the color is great.

[Kel]

my husband is the rose guy - so I asked him - and he said "possibly" he is not fond of hybrid roses, but this one is intriguing and he would want to know more about how susceptible it is to disease and such -

but this is the same guy who wants the almost black rose from the International Rose Test Gardens in Portland . . . .

and he will probably next ask for one in dark chocolate . . .

[jslehmer]

I most definately would have one in my garden!!!! Very cool!!!!

[Mara Tolbert]

I would love to buy them, they would be perfect for my wedding because my colors are chocolate and teal. If anyone can give me any information on where I can find them I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

[Mara Tolbert]

I would love to buy them, they would be perfect for my wedding because my colors are chocolate and teal. If anyone can give me any information on how I can get them I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

[judy prater]

i am a floral designer for a very large florist. i do many large weddings and corporate events. these roses are fantastic!
especially for fall themed events. i have a bride who has been wanting hasting roses , but they're virtually non-existent now. these are a good alternative. the leonidas are hit and miss as to how to how they open, which is key when designing a bridal bouquet. i believe when these are widely available in the market, they will be a huge hit. i have already contacted the two south american growers to inquire about purchasing some for an event in november. wtg! for an excellent find.

[lindsay martin]

I've been a brown rose hunter for almost ten years now, ever since I saw my very first one. Absolutely beautiful.

[Melissa Hirsh]

I am looking for these for my wedding on October 15th, can someone tell me where i can find them? i live in the USA in Massachusetts.

[Missy Watson]

I absolutely love this rose! Brown is one of my favorite colors. I am using dark brown and aqua for my upcoming wedding. I haven't found anything that I'm totally crazy about but these would definitely work! Is there a florist in Southern CA that can get these??? I would also love to plant some in my yard so I could always have some.

[Brigitte Milian]

Hi - love to see these up close. Any idea where I can find them in the metro NY or lower CT area? Any idea on availability and/or pricing? Thxb

[Jillian]

Has there been any current avalibility information about these roses in the US? I would like them for my wedding in April but it has been difficult to locate information about them.

[Stacie]

I love these roses! I think they're fantastic and would work perfectly with my wedding theme. I have also had difficulty finding information on them - but would love to get my hands on them for my wedding in July!