Rainbow Roses: They Arrive, I Geek Out
So I picked up my order of Rainbow Roses from Mellano and Co. in downtownLA. (They are a special order and you will have to call them - the roses are not on their website.) They weren’t cheap - about $6 a stem retail. Here’s photos from the unpacking. I was told the dye was injected into the stem but that doesn’t appear correct. The stems were split into four pieces which, I’m guessing, were each placed in seperate dyes. When trimmed you can see how the dye was absorbed.
See also: Beyond Rainbow Roses - Rainbow Everything
November 3rd, 2006 at 8:17 am
Well, hello kitty!!
November 5th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
I’m a little unclear about your description about splitting the stems in 4 pieces, since the cross-section otherwise looks intact.
Do you mean it looks like the young rose stem was split 4 ways and each sucked up from a different dye pot, and then they were maybe bound back together and grew back as one stem? Or can you explain your theory a little better?
They are so breathtakingly gorgeous.
November 5th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
The cross sections you see here were fresh cuts I made while trimming the stems down. The base of the stems arrived having been split into four sections - each I’m guessing, was in a different dye pot. They’re only in those dyes for a few hours after they’re cut before being re-hydrated for auction.
January 17th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
ORDERING INFO:
They are not on the company’s website - you must call them or call your local florist and have them place an order through Mellano & Co.
February 16th, 2007 at 8:08 am
Saw the information on the news yesterday about the rainbow rose - it is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!
March 24th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
I saw them at the DeYoung Museum in SF. Thanks for the great photos and explanation of how they got the way they are — beautiful.
August 1st, 2007 at 7:27 pm
couldn’t we do this at home? have you tried buying a white rose and experimenting urself? I think I wanna give it a try.
June 17th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
The stems suck up water to grow, so if you use coloured water… It works will all types of flowers, and even celery.
For more, see Planet Science:
http://www.planet-science.com/about_sy/news/ps_126-150/ps_issue134.html#3
or, as you’re in the States, Steve Spangler:
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000144
(though it is more thrilling than that kid’s face implies)
Have fun!
June 29th, 2008 at 4:24 am
We sell Rainbow roses http://www.itsabloomingbusiness.com