For thousands of years the rose has been a symbol of love, passion and an expression of deep feelings. The Queen of flowers is the most traditional yet elegant gift someone can give to their beloved. However, as most flowers, no matter how much you care for a cut rose, it won’t last more than a week in a glass of water… and then it withers away irrevocably.
Is there anything we can do to make roses immortal? Some preservation method or a realistic-looking imitation? There are hundreds of ways to make artificial roses but let’s admit it, most of them look totally fake.
Some methods are quite artistic, though, for example creating roses out of paper, silk or polymer clay (the second ones can be absolutely realistic). Still, others look as if they were bought from a flea market. And they have no scent either!
How about dried flowers? Well… they look too dead… even for goths. Who wants to be given a fleshless, shrunken bouquet?
What if we give the person a living planted rose? If he or she has a green thumb, the plant can grow more than 20 years. But is this a good idea if the person can’t take care of anything but cacti and succulents?
Here comes a new method of keeping cut roses “alive” for a long period of time. Called with different names, eternal roses, unwithering or preserved roses, these are 100 % real roses processed by an advanced technology.
The amazing thing about this technique is that it keeps the natural texture and appearance of the flowers, making them look as if they were just picked from the garden. So, what is the magic? The process of preservation takes place in special laboratories. First, flowers are dehydrated in alcohol solution. During this process their natural moisture vanishes, as does the pigment. Second step – immersing roses in a special liquid mixture of glycerin, water and coloring agent. The stem and the leaves are cut beforehand, processed separately and then attached back to the blossom.
Roses can be painted in any color – red, black, purple, green, blue… there are even multi-coloured roses, half-white, half-purple, etc. They can even be made sparkling and with a metallic effect. Fragrance is added in the glycerin solution. It can last up to 6 months. The life-span of the preserved roses is 2-3 years. And they don’t require water. You just need to avoid exposing them to direct sunlight for a long time and for the humidity in the room to be around 50 % but no more than 80 %. The last one sounds crazy, I know… I mean who would maintain a humidity of 50 % at the place where they live? Well… that’s what is said in every website about unwithering roses. There must be something true about it. The temperature of the room should be around +5° to +30° C.
As a matter of fact, there are many flowers that can be processed with the same method of preservation – lilies, orchids, carnations, chrysanthemums, gardenias, etc. but of course, roses are most popular especially when you want to surprise your loved one. Unwithering flowers are often used as decoration by many designers and at weddings (white and light-pink roses… so classic and romantic).
These immortalized roses are quite expensive in many flower shops, because they are on retail or due to transport taxes, especially when such roses are not produced in your country. You can find them online at more affordable prices.
So, what do you think about eternal roses? Wouldn’t it be one of the most romantic gifts to give to your partner… or something memorable you can give to your best friend, mom, sister, granny or favorite teacher? It feels like the rose is whispering quietly the message: “I will love you forever…”
Written by Ani Miloshova
