Behind the Rose

Since its first float entry in 1933, Florists’ Transworld Delivery has provided tens of thousands of fresh flowers for many of Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses’ signature events, including the annual Rose Parade.

For the last five years, the Illinois-based company has been the official floral partner of the Tournament of Roses — responsible for creating numerous floral arrangements including those that decorate the antique cars and carriages that carry dignitaries such as the mayor of Pasadena, the Tournament of Roses president and the Grand Marshal.

“We are proud to showcase their work at our events and in our parade,” said Richard W. Jackson, Tournament of Roses president.

In November, the preparation begins. The FTD designers, with the help of local FTD florist Jacob Maarse Florists, have two months to design concepts, select flowers and install the decorations. They take into consideration the theme, which this year is “Just Imagine” as well as the model and color of the cars they are decorating and the personalities of the VIPs onboard. This year, war veteran and Grand Marshal J.R. Martinez will ride in a V-16 all-weather Phaeton from 1933 — the very year FTD joined the parade — with a patriotic theme. The decor for last year’s Grand Marshal, chef Paula Deen, who rode in a 1923 Springfield Silver Ghost Rolls-Royce, included sticks of butter — her favorite cooking ingredient.

New varieties of freshly cut flowers are featured throughout the Tournament of Roses each year. This year, FTD will showcase the Lime Green Hydrangea and the Freedom Rose — both winners of the Society of American Florists 2011 Outstanding Varieties Competition — as part of its many sensational arrangements.

Roughly 1,500 to 2,000 flower stems are used on each vehicle, with plenty of water added daily to prevent the flowers from wilting. Once the vehicles have been dressed, they are driven to the parking lot at the start of the parade route in the middle of the night to await the kickoff of one of the world’s largest floral festivals.

“Flowers are one of the greatest gifts to give and share because of the emotion and sentimentality they generate,” said Robert S. Apatoff, president of FTD. “There is no better way to display the power and beauty of flowers than the Rose Parade.”

—Jenny Pellicer
Custom Publishing Writer