A trip to Garden Rose Grower ~Alexandra Farms in Columbia

This is an inside view of just how the production of roses works and the amazing people that do this work.  Enjoy!

Mayesh's Blog

My Trip to Colombia: Alexandra Farms

DEC2

Written by: Ali Dahlson 
12/2/2015 3:42 PM  

 

So you may be thinking, we're still talking about her trip to Colombia? To which I would respond, hello… Thanksgiving! I assumed most of you would be gorging on turkey, stuffing and football last week, and not necessarily paying attention to my awe-inspiring blogging skills. But now that we’re all back to reality, I thought I’d hit you with one more, and it’s a good one. Garden roses are one of my favorite flowers, especially those of the David Austin variety. While in Colombia, I was lucky enough to be included on one of Alexandra Farm’s tours, followed by a delicious brunch, followed by a bumpy bus ride back to Bogotá. But I won’t go into that bus ride, we’ll focus on the garden flowers here, but I might stick in a picture or two of the food, just to remind you of all the delicious food you got to eat last week. Here goes…

Alexandra Farms is located about an hour and a half outside of Bogotá, though locals would probably tell you it’s a half hour. But don’t believe them. Always assume your “twenty minute drive” is going to take at least an hour, traffic in Bogotá is crazy! But I digress. Alexandra Farms is home to a wide variety of garden flowers, currently offering thirty varieties from a handful of breeders and twelve David Austin varieties (swoon). Sidenote: They are one of the select few farms chosen by David Austin to help test and grow the varieties he has selected for the cut flower industry, while keeping the integrity and fragrance of Old Garden roses. Pretty awesome. Anyway, so how did they come up with these forty-two varieties, you ask? By testing the breeds, that’s how.

The Process

The process of testing different varieties is a very slow process, taking up to three years to achieve the first commercial launch of a new variety. Once they have selected their favorites, they move into the production phase. Each flower is different, so the farm has to adapt to each variety, and create technological innovations to commercially cultivate them. Something I found interesting was how they split up the work. They specialize workers by variety, giving each worker responsibility over a particular set of beds. Each worker knows the ins and outs of their variety, and works hard to grow the highest quality flowers possible. The final step of production is postharvest. Once they have been cut, they are put in hydration buckets until it is their turn to go through classification. Their foliage is removed and they are then sorted into categories based on length and cut point. Garden roses are more delicate than all other roses, so they must be handled very carefully during this process, as well as packing, storing, and shipping.

Our tour was pretty spectacular, and smelled damn good too! We started with a tour of the variety testing areas, then saw production, and finished with the postharvest and classification processes. Here are some pictures of the tour:

Testing greenhouses:

Our CEO, Pat, stops to smell the roses (too cheesy?)

In the Production Greenhouses:

Plastic bags or nets are placed over some of the flowers heads to help with head size & protect from pests

Postharvest/Classification: 

Left: Grading "sleds" - the sled is the best way to protect the flower heads since they are not on top of one another

After the tour, we were treated to a wonderful brunch, and our crew also spent a little time with David Austin and his awesome team.  

From left: Pat, Pam, David Austin, Peter

Told ya I'd throw in some food pics

While in line for lunch, we got to play a little game called “Love it or Leave it.” We were given stickers and asked to put either a green (love it) or a red (not so much) sticker on new varieties being tested, and thought we’d play with you! So, what do you think? Which would you give a green sticker, and which would get a red?

We were torn over the above right flower - a controversial one indeed!

 

Thanks again to Alexandra Farms for a great tour, and a special shout out to Maria for being a fabulous tour guide and dinner host the night we arrived in Bogotá! I hope you have enjoyed following my first big trip in the business, and hope to have more to share with you in the future! 

Ciao!  

About The Author

Ali Dahlson - (Seattle, Washington)

Coming from a background in interior design, I'm trying my hand at flowers, and will be spending the next year learning the ins & outs of the business. I will be sharing my experiences as the new kid on the block, hoping to inspire other young, aspiring floral designers like myself. I grew up in the wholesale flower business, but hope to use my education and experience to eventually create a unique and innovative approach to floral design. Follow along for a blend of educational tid-bits, my thoughts & musings on the business, and a peek into my crazy journey into the world of flowers! #alitheflorist  

Unsure how to view the class schedule or how to sign up for a class.....email me at: flowerclassroom@gmail.com I will be glad to answer any question at: 913-708-2988 thanks! Christina Burton-Fox AIFD