08/30/2026
ANSWER:
🌹So… is a rose really just a rose? Not by a long shot.
The rose on the left is an Explorer. It has a deeper, richer red color, a much higher petal count, opens into a beautiful full bloom, and in my experience holds extremely well.
The rose on the right is a Freedom. It has fewer petals and a much smaller, less impressive bloom — but look at that stem length.🥀
So it was actually a bit of a trick question. The prettier, more premium rose has the shorter stem, while the less impressive rose has the longer stem.
And this is why I don’t buy roses based on stem length alone.
For everyday arrangements, I’d much rather buy a beautiful, high-petal-count rose on a shorter stem because I’m going to cut most of that stem off anyway. For traditional dozen-rose vases, I normally use 60 cm roses, which gives me the height I need without wasting money. I rarely have a reason to pay extra for 70 cm roses just to cut several inches off and throw that money in the trash.🌹
Quality isn’t measured with a ruler. A longer stem does not necessarily mean a better rose.😉
