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12 Feature February | 2023 "Sales of sand-, toff ee- and nude-colored roses now make up 30 percent of the color assortment," says Joey Azout, president of Alexandra Farms, which produces David Austin Wedding & Event Roses—a collection of 17 exceptional cut garden roses—among other brands. Anticipating the popularity of this color wave, Rosaprima, a Miami, Fla.-based grower of more than 150 varieties of luxury roses, introduced 'RP Moab' last year. e company describes it as "a rocky, earth-toned-color rose," and says it initially planted 20,000 plants and will now triple that production this year because of demand. "We have seen a large increase of fl orists requesting roses in this color palette and wanted to examine the reasons behind the popularity," adds Jules Lewis Gibson, owner of Florists' Review magazine, which has been publishing since 1897. It's also good business focusing on these fl owers, says Joost Bongaerts, CEO of Carpinteria, Calif.-based Florabundance, a nationwide wholesale fl ower distributor off ering more than 1,800 varieties. "Anyone can buy red roses these days from a supermarket, but these [taupe-hued roses] are rare specialty fl owers stocked by fl orists," he says. " ey enable fl orists to off er something unique and special." at's helpful because supermarkets are cutting into fl orists' revenue streams. ey buy in such bulk that they can off er lower prices than most fl orists. Furthermore, a report from the International Fresh Produce Association, a trade association for the fresh produce and mass-market fl oral supply chain, shows that, in 2019, supermarkets and other mass-market retailers reported an average gross margin of 47 percent on cut fl owers. Because fl owers stimulate the senses and make shoppers happier, more supermarket chains are displaying them close to the stores' entrances so they are the fi rst things customers experience as the enter. "If you get someone's nose and saliva glands working, [he or she becomes] a less-disciplined shopper," explains Paco Underhill, founder and CEO of behavioral research and consulting fi rm Envirosell. All these factors, collectively, have helped increase the sales of and desire for taupe-hued roses. "We live in a multiethnic, multicultural world; what better palette to represent this than the multicolored, blended taupe roses," queries Debra Prinzing, PFCI, author and founder of the Slow Flowers Society, herself in an interracial marriage. " e family of taupe and toff ee roses has many unique varieties. ey are roses to celebrate the beautiful diversity and deeper meaning of what we value in humankind." Many varieties of garden roses are considered in the taupe family, including 'Honey Dijon', 'Koko Loco' and 'Distant Drums', from small boutique rose farms in the U.S., such as Rose Story Farm in Carpinteria, Calif., and Menagerie Farm & Flower in Live Oak, Calif., as well as 'Quicksand', 'Miyabi Brown,' Sahara Sensation' and 'Symbol' from Alexandra Farms and the aforementioned 'RP Moab' from Rosaprima. With Valentine's Day one of the most popular days for engagements, expect a new round of fl ower demands. In 2022, according to e Knot, there were 2.6 million weddings, and in 2021, the average cost for wedding fl owers was $2,300. Experts note that taupe roses, given their scarcity, run $1 to $2 more per stem than average roses. But they also are hues that "blend" into so many color palettes that they are desired by wedding event planners, says Holly Heider Chapple, who owns Holly Heider Chapple Flowers 'RP Moab' roses (in center) from Rosaprima

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