IP: helping love blossom
14 Feb 2012
Lovers across the country are in the middle of the annual Valentine's Day rush on our rose stocks - long stemmed, pink, white red and yellow and all colours in between, you name it, someone wants it.
Florists' feet barely touch the floor as they attempt to satisfy demand for the millions of roses that will go out of their doors Australia wide over the next 24 hours. The choice of roses is huge. While not all are of the long-stemmed variety, there are 305 different rose varieties that are currently protected with a plant breeder's right.
Over the past 23 years, nearly 600 rose varieties have been registered in Australia under plant breeder's rights. Fashions and preferences change with the result that many of these are no longer registered with IP Australia. An indication of changing fashions is the fact that nearly 90 rose varieties have Australian PBR registration pending.
Roses come from all over the world, however, the majority on IP Australia's PBR register are from Europe, the UK and the USA. One notable exception is the Pink Iceberg rose created by Prophyl on the banks of Tasmania's Derwent River and granted a Plant Breeder's Right in 1995.
And in a cautionary tale for the forgetful, some florists say their biggest day is February 15 when rueful partners who forgot the big day try to make up with over-the-top purchases of huge rose bouquets. By then somehow, even the accompanying chocolates don't seem to cut it!
Last Updated: 29/11/2012
