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Hi there

I am looking for advice on names of roses. The bride's dress is white and therefore she doesn't want cream or any hint of colour such as peach in the rose. She would like one that is as white as I can get.

I am looking to order F white roses which I believe are white with a hint of green which would be acceptable.

Any suggestions would be very helpful. Not sure if Akito roses would be more of a cream tone.

Many thanks

'Akito' is generally accepted to be the 'white rose', however like all things in this world...compared to what! If you put it alongside a brilliant white carnation, it is definitely ivory/ creamy. Put it alongside something red/black and it will appear very white. It all comes down to how particular the bride is. I've found that in a lot of cases, when 'white' is specified, that means not creamy like say 'Sofie/Bianca'. I would always show the bride a sample of Akito and ask if that is ok. nine times out of ten it is, but you can't guarantee it. If you really have to commit to a variety that is not 'mainstream' then you run a slight risk of it not being available on the day, not turning up etc in which case it can be difficult to substitute. But then again, providing something unusual is what makes you stand out from the crowd. As long as it goes to plan.

I like to use Akito where possible if the bride asks for a white rose, I do always show her one first though, I think they are a great rose to keep in stock on a daily basis they don't seem to mark as easily as alot of other white varieties (unless the market pack them in a box on their own with a roll of cello when they deliver! good job they weren't for a wedding that day!)

Avalanche is another good one, especially if you want a sturdy large headed rose.
You shouldn't have a problem with the colour especially if you are using foliage aswell
It's a bit different if there's no foliage, then i would suggest that the bride carries the colour of the bridesmaid and visa versa

I can recommend Avalanche simply because the rose is consistantly good. Akito also has problems at certain times of the year with changing weather conditions. At the end of the summer period for example, if the temperature drops, the head size can get very small. Also it can tend to bruise quite easily, which shows up very quickly.

Bianca is slowly being fased out. Its an old variety, and has had its day.

F white is a very good, very hard rose, and also a very good choice, and probably "whiter" than Avalance or Akito.

After all that said, I still go back to Akito on a daily basis because it is a rose grown in quantity by a lot of growers, which means it will always (on a long term basis) always be cheaper than Avalanche, F-white or Sophie. Also because of the bloom form, it is a popular rose for normal sales.