The sea of nearly 18 million roses that you see during the annual Rose Parade are not just any roses.
In fact, the roses are ordered specifically to decorate floats during the parade from all over the world. The majority of roses reportedly come from Colombia and Ecuador, but roses are also brought in from the midwest, California, the Netherlands and New York for the big day.
The hand-picked roses must meet a specific head size and stem length to be included in the rose showcase.
Once they are selected for the Rose Parade, they are shipped to the float builders using a refrigeration process that keeps them at 32 to 37 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure the flowers maintain their condition and freshness.
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The flowers are also maintained and preserved by using water tubes and floral foams. During float decorations, spritzing bottles with water and flower-friendly preservatives are used to guarantee freshness.
After the parade, volunteers will remove the flowers one-by-one from the floats. Those flowers will then be recycled and composted into mulch used to create new flowers and plants.
Other flowers are then collected into large buckets and assembled into large bouquets and distributed to local convalescent homes throughout Pasadena and surrounding areas.
