“How many petals does a rose have?” is a good question, but not one that can be answered so easily. Roses, just like people, come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and variations.
However, instead of picking them apart, we at Infinity Flowerbox prefer to showcase our roses in magnificent arrangements. Roses are a timeless and elegant gift for many occasions, from celebratory to truly romantic.
In this article, we will answer the question posed above, introduce some fun and different uses for rose petals in your daily life, and showcase some of our favorite arrangements from our range.
How Many Petals Does a Rose Have?
Today, the average rose has 20-40 petals in its bloom. This is a far cry from wild roses, the descendants of Rosa Chinensis, which have only five petals.
Rosa Chinensis is known to have first been cultivated around 500 BC in the rose gardens of imperial China. Today, however, there are over 30,000 varieties of the coveted flower. Some roses that are grown today have as many as 60-80 petals, which, however, wilt faster than most others – for the simple reason that more petals consume more energy, giving these roses a shorter lifespan than others. Such flowers only thrive under man-made growing conditions.
However, the dramatic increase in the number of petals on an average rose from five to 25 did not happen overnight. It took centuries of cultivation, cross-breeding, and technical innovation.
The Rose Renaissance in Paris
At the beginning of the 18th century, rose cultivation experienced an enormous upswing thanks to the work of Josephine Bonaparte, Napoleon's wife at the time. Her world-famous flower garden was called Malmaison, and her favorite flower was the rose. She searched for the rarest varieties from all over the world and commissioned the best gardeners in France to experiment with cross-breeding. By 1813, the 650-hectare garden contained almost 200 different rose varieties, making Paris the rose capital of the world.
The popularity of the rose around the world increased sharply from then on. By 1830, there were more than 2,500 rose varieties in Paris, thanks in large part to Josephine Bonaparte and her gardeners in Malmaison. After her death, the breeding infrastructure she had built was further renewed, eventually producing the Tea Hybrid in 1867, which remains one of the most popular rose varieties to this day.
What are Infinity Roses?
As cultivation methods have become ever more sophisticated, today there are roses with more and more petals, new and vibrant colors, and thousands of new variations of this timeless bloom. It is only natural that growers and florists in the 21st century have tried to answer the question often asked by rose lovers:
Can the natural lifespan of a rose be extended?
An average bouquet of roses lasts a week in water. If you change the water daily and keep the bouquet in a cool, dry place, you can get the most out of your bouquet. But these measures only keep your flowers fresh until they start to wilt and eventually wither.
With an Infinity Flowerbox, you can enjoy your beautiful flower arrangement for much longer, as they last for years with proper care. Our innovative Infinity Roses are the latest state-of-the-art and, we believe, surpass the wildest dreams of Josephine Bonaparte. These delicate, fragrant blooms are made from 100% real roses sourced from the rose fields of Ecuador.
Thanks to the strong equatorial sun, which they enjoy all year round, these blooms are more voluminous and have more petals than the average market roses. And thanks to the innovative preservation methods we have developed over the years, they last for years with proper care. You can read all the important information in the blog post “7 Things You Didn't Know About Infinity Roses” to enjoy your roses for a long time.
Stunning Arrangements That Last
Enjoy the abundance and color variation of our Infinity Flowerboxes. Our beautiful roses are handcrafted with attention to detail by our florists in elegant black or white hat boxes. Our rose arrangements not only embody elegance itself, but also carry the same rich fragrance we expect from a rose. Convince yourself now of our large Infinity assortment and visit our online shop.
Many petals, many uses…
Now that we know how many petals are in an average rose, we thought it would be interesting to show some uses for fresh rose petals that you can easily recreate at home. From decorative to practical - you'll be amazed at what you can do with the petals of this incredible flower.
Before you start
When using rose petals, the first thing to note is that they are very fragile and do not last long. For this reason, it is much easier to work with dried rose petals than fresh ones. We recommend using fresh rose petals and drying them at home. This can be done in five easy steps:
Get a supply of fresh rose petals, picked during the flowering season, ideally from flowers that have not been treated with chemicals.
Then wash your petals in filtered water, making sure to drain them thoroughly.
Place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the cleaned petals in a single layer on the sheet.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and leave the petals in the oven until all the moisture has dried out. The petals should become crispy and break apart like potato chips. If they are still pliable, bake them for another two minutes and test again.
Once they are completely dry, store the petals in a sealed container, preferably in a place where they are not exposed to direct sunlight. You can now use your self-dried petals as you wish!
With that out of the way, let's take a look at our favorite uses for these beautiful and versatile petals!
Rose water
The simplest and perhaps most practical product on this list is rose water! Rose water is both cosmetic and therapeutic and can be used in homemade beauty products or for simple aromatherapy. All you need are a few fresh rose petals and filtered spring water.
Rose water lasts up to six months, making this a cost-effective way to get the most fragrance out of fresh flowers, so to speak.
Homemade potpourri
It's easy to turn self-dried rose petals into potpourri so that the long-faded flowers can fill your home with a lasting fragrance.
To do this, simply mix your dried petals in a bowl with complementary scents, and we especially recommend cloves, star anise, dried orange peels, or cinnamon sticks.
If you want to put in a little more effort, you can pack the flowers in decorative bags and tie them together with a ribbon. These can add a pretty accent to the linen closet or sock drawer.
Rose lip balm
The fusion of oil with rose petals is a somewhat lengthy process that takes about three to four weeks, but the result is a delightful lip balm, especially when combined with peppermint or sage to give it a little more pep.
We prefer sunflower oil as the oil, but there are many alternatives. Olive oil, avocado oil, and apricot kernel oil are all good options for your lip balm.
Concluding Remarks
Whether you want to grow your own roses, experiment with dried rose petals, or are just curious about roses - we hope you've learned a few new things about our favorite flower in this article.
If you are looking for a flower arrangement to give as a gift - whether for romance, gratitude or any other reason - you can't go wrong with one of our Infinity Rose arrangements .