How to Create Blue Roses

A blue rose has uniqueness of colour that evokes deep intrigue. It symbolises something that is impossible to achieve, becoming an ambiguous, smokey mystery. In a romantic sense, a blue rose represents an opportunity, a hope, and a possibility of true, splendourous love.

STEPS

1

Choose a bunch of freshly cut cream or white roses. Ideally, these will not have been soaked in or treated with water. Dry, freshly cut roses maximise the uptake of floral dye.—In this case, it is a blue floral dye carried by water through the stem which suffuses the petals.

2

Remove the thorns from each rose stalk. Use either a de-thorner or a knife and avoid scarring the stem unnecessarily. Place the roses into an empty vase to hold them conveniently.

3

Mix blue, powdered floral dye in an empty vase. Combine the powder and warm water according to the directions on the packaging. Adding more powder will intensify the colour and bring extra richness to the final product.

4

Cut the stems and place the roses into the dye solution. Let them soak for a few hours. As time goes by, the uptake of dye will progress and begin to saturate the petals, infusing them with a blue hue that intensifies over time.

5

Snip off the stems again, then return the flowers to the dye solution. The fresh cuts will remove the healing tissue created to seal off the wounds, allowing quicker, more complete uptake of the dye.

6

Wait until the flower petals reach the desired shade. Within half a day, the blue dye should have spread, evenly colouring the rose petals. At this point, throw out the dye solution and replace it with clear water.

• You may want to add a flower preservative to the water for longer-lasting blooms.

7

There you have them - blue roses!