Romance blooms at Nipomo's Eufloria

With more than 80 varieties of roses growing in its 8-acre Nipomo greenhouse facility, Eufloria Flowers truly has a rose for every occasion.

With such names as Tropical Amazon, Gold Strike, Happy Hour, Sweet Moments, Pacific Blue, Lolly Pop and Cherry Brandy, it's easy to see how Eufloria and the rose industry have diversified from the traditional red rose.

Still, nothing says “Valentine's Day” like a dozen long-stemmed red roses. That's why Eufloria has 11 different varieties of the traditional red representing 25 percent of its total production.

Founded by Andy Koch as Koch Mesa Nursery in 1984 and renamed in 2000, Eufloria is a worldwide leader in the production of premiere boutique hybrid tea roses and has won many prestigious awards from the Society of American Florists.

At the September 2006 convention, Eufloria won the competition's highest honor, the Best in Show Award, for its standard Polar Star rose, topping 369 entries from around the world.

During the past four years, Eufloria has received three Best in Class and two Best in Show awards to add to its total of 113 honors since entering competitions in 1999.

If you are wondering, Koch's success in the rose industry is no fluke. He is a seventh-generation horticulturist in a family that has been a forerunner in expanding innovative growing techniques since the mid-19th century.

One visit to Eufloria and it is evident why the company has had such abundant success.

Rose production peaks between Jan. 28 and Feb. 8, corresponding with Valentine's Day. Eufloria will produce about 350,000 roses for sweethearts this year. Equating to approximately 30,000 one-dozen bouquets, 7,500 of those will be long-stemmed red roses.

Valentine's Day however, accounts for only 5.5 percent of the company's annual production, which totals a whopping 6.5 million roses per year.

“The Valentine's flush is quickly followed by a second and third flush of flowers that develop in time for the wedding season,” said Shannon Kelley, Eufloria sales and marketing representative. “We have roses for any occasion and produce a rainbow of colors year-round.”

Eufloria's ultra-premium roses are grown semihydroponically in coconut fiber shipped from Sri Lanka.

The fiber, with a resilient structure for growing roses and other crops, gives young rose plants an explosive start in addition to its exceptional oxygen- and water-holding capabilities that stimulate a vigorous root system.

All aspects of production are computer-controlled and -protected in three climate-controlled greenhouses, maintained at a comfortable 65 degrees Fahrenheit with 70 percent humidity, on the Nipomo Mesa.

Six to nine rose plants are planted every three square feet in specially engineered plastic rose boxes, each with its own drip system that controls the exact amount of water and nutrients the plant receives.

To handle pests that fly, crawl and piggyback into the greenhouse, Eufloria has implemented an aggressive integrated pest management program.

“We have introduced into our greenhouses a beneficial predator insect, persimilis, that eats the thrips, white flies, aphids and spider mites that would normally be a problem in most production facilities,” said Gerardo Garcia, technical operations manager, who has worked at Eufloria since 1980.

Eufloria's pets management program aids in reducing the amount of total pesticides applied to the flowers. That improves the marketability and impresses Eufloria's neighbors.

“When we first moved in, there was some skepticism from our neighbors about our husbandry practices,” said Lilly Garcia, general manager. “Over time, we were able to demonstrate to them just how few pesticides we actually use.”

Freshness and quality are essential in the floral industry. To ensure that they provide the highest-quality roses, Eufloria employees take special care to protect the flowers at every step of the growing and harvesting process.

When cut from the stem, roses are placed in fresh water and a preservative solution in a cascading arrangement. That protects shorter flowers from being damaged by the thorns of larger flowers.

Once buckets are filled, they go into cold storage to “harden” for six to 24 hours prior to shipping. That allows the flowers to become fully hydrated and the heads to swell, which produces greater petal color.

Once hardened, flowers are graded and packaged. Eufloria flowers come sized, from 18- to 21-inch stems you can find at your local farmers market to 24- to 32-inch stems shipped to florists in North America.

“Our flowers have been featured at the Kentucky Derby, Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, prestigious political inaugurations, celebrity special events and in television documentaries, movies and several of John Henry's special-edition collections,” Kelley said.

In the past, Eufloria roses may have been hard to find. With a recent expansion into Internet sales and marketing under the name Rosique by Eufloria, customers can order from the Web site at www.rosiqueflowers.com. Flowers are shipped overnight in a vase, ready to be displayed straight out of the box.

“This expansion is beneficial for both our business and for the rose industry,” Koch said.

“Currently, only 3 percent of all the flowers on the market are California-grown.”

When imported flowers don't live up to their full potential, it hurts the entire industry.

“With Rosique, we hope to show consumers that high-quality, long-lasting and fragrant roses are available for every occasion 365 days a year,” Kelley said.

Caring for your roses

Eufloria's and other high-quality roses can be kept fresh for 14-plus days after they are cut. The secrets to keeping your Valentine's Day roses fresh into March are simple:

n Remove any foliage that would fall under the water line in your vase.

n Cut at least one inch off the bottom of each rose at a 45 degree angle. That maximizes the surface area of the cambium layer that draws the water up into your rose.

n Mix the package of preservative (usually supplied with the roses) thoroughly with water so the crystals dissolve completely before arranging your flowers.

n Leave the roses as they are; do not pull off any petals or thorns because it creates exposed wounds and shortens the life of your roses.

Now you're set to enjoy your flowers for three days. At the end of the three days (and hopefully before you finish off the box of chocolates that came with them):

n Remove roses from the vase. Wash the vase and fill it with fresh water.

n Cut another inch off the bottom of the roses. The reason is simple: Organic material and water mixed with warm temperatures and light create an excellent medium to grow bacteria that will ruin your beautiful roses quickly.

If you stay ahead of the bacteria and continue to cut fresh ends off your stems so that your roses can continue to absorb water, come March 1, your flowers will still be going strong.

Steven Knudsen is outreach coordinator for the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau. He can be reached at 543-3654 or steven@slofarmbureau.org.

Feb. 4, 2007