The Meaning of Roses. Part 4: Pink, and Passionately Pink (Susan G. Komen for the Cure)

Pink.

Symbolizing gentility, femininity, elegance and refinement, the pink rose also carries additional meanings depending on its hue. A deep pink conveys gratitude and appreciation, while pale shades connote grace and gentleness, admiration and happiness. Pink roses are also some of the few varieties that have retained their fragrance. Advanced breeding techniques that usually select for size, insect resistance, and longevity seem to select against fragrance. Not so for our Big Pinks. If you want the stink, go with pink. I just made that up. I swear.

Doesn't necessarily say, "Hello, Kitty." Recently, pink has also become the color of Breast Cancer Awareness made popular by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. Guys who are into the NFL found this out during football season when they saw their teams running around in pink shoes. Be sure to check out the other creative ideas to raise awareness and badly needed funds for breast cancer at Passionately Pink.

So, sending pink is very cool. Tiger Lily has you covered for Valentine's Day.

Fair Trade Roses! You could just eat them. (Actually, since they're organic, you probably could...)

Wow. These are some of the most beautiful roses we have ever had in our shop. And they come with a Fair Trade label on every stem.

This means that they were raised organically, and 13% of the farm's gate price was returned to the workers for education and health care for them and their families.

Our Fair Trade roses come to us direct from the farm in Ecuador through One World Flowers. We are grateful to Alaina Paradise from One World who is working hard to make Fair Trade flowers more readily available to consumers. You can order direct from them or stop by our stores in Teaneck (Encke Flowers or Tiger Lily) to see what roses are supposed to look like!

Remembering flower workers on Valentine's Day

Video clip courtesy of TransFairUSA

When remembering your beloved this Valentine's Day, give some thought as well to the women and men who tend and cut the roses you send. Fair Trade farms guarantee their workers a sustainable living (different than a "minimum wage"). This includes education, childcare, and protection from abusive conditions for women. It also means that your roses are organically cultivated - preserving the planet and protecting the health of flower workers, florists and your own family. Did you know that the average rose from a flower shop has been sprayed with up to 200 times the amount of pesticides normally applied to fruits and vegetables? The Fair Trade movement, much more advanced and well-known in the European Union countries, is making great strides in promoting organic farming techniques, biodiversity, and protecting the health and quality of life of the people who do the work.

Tiger Lily Flowers and Encke Flowers in Teaneck, NJ are two of 3 florists in the entire NY/NJ metropolitan area that provide Fair Trade and organic flowers on a consistent basis.

We also carry an extensive line of Fair Trade certified jewelry and crafts. On this Valentine's Day, give a gift that gives back in manifold ways.

Fair Trade Roses

for Valentine's Day

-a gift that gives back.

Valentine's Day is coming fast! Although we aren't particularly crazy about artificially-induced, overly commercialized and super-hyped holidays, St. Valentine was, after all, a prisoner, and the day is, ostensibly, about love. It is possible to do the right thing by your sweetie, as well as by the people who do the work.

Tiger Lily is one of two retail florists in the entire New York/New Jersey metropolitan area that sells Fair Trade certified and organic flowers. Fair Trade is an internationally recognized certification that guarantees that the flowers were produced on farms that provide their workers a real living wage, child care, education and training, and secure the rights of women. It also means that they are either using exclusively organic farming techniques (sparing their workers and us from pesticide exposure) or are making demonstrable progress in that direction.

We order our Fair Trade roses from two farms in Kenya. In high-volume seasons such as this, we must give the growers two weeks notice since our flowers are cut to order and shipped to us within 24 hours. It doesn't get any fresher that that. If you would like to order Fair Trade roses for Valentine's Day, give us a call or email us with your order to ensure that we have your flowers in stock.

We also carry a full line of Fair Trade certified gifts and jewelry at our Cedar Lane store, along with a whole range of flowers from around the world.We look forward to hearing from you.

And we also hope that you don't find yourself in the store on February 15th for our "Doghouse Special" (3 dozen roses for a whole lot of money!)