Roses in Dublin

Rose delivery in Dublin: varieties, English breeding and an honest cold chain

Dublin is a city with a genuine rose culture. St Anne's Park, between Raheny and Clontarf, holds one of Ireland's largest rose gardens, where new varieties are put through international trials every summer. So a Dubliner looks at a bouquet with a careful eye — they have seen the rose both in the garden and on the judging bench. Ireland has little industrial breeding of its own, so quality in the bouquet comes down to logistics and an honest cold chain.

This category covers single-variety bouquets, mixed compositions, spray roses, market-style bunches in kraft and hat boxes. Formats run from a compact bunch of seven stems to a grand 51 or 101. Hotels, restaurants and corporate clients around Ballsbridge and the city centre tend to order boxes and larger arrangements.

Which varieties to choose

The main supply comes from Dutch glasshouses through the Royal FloraHolland auction — large-headed classics and peony-form hybrids. David Austin's British breeding sits just across the Irish Sea, and Ecuadorian long-stemmed varieties arrive less often for oversized work. Here is the working breakdown.

• Freedom, Red Naomi — the red anchor. Freedom is deep crimson with a dense head and 60–80 cm stems, lasting 10–14 days with care. Red Naomi is a velvety dark ruby with a softer petal. Both work for anniversaries and romantic occasions.
• Avalanche+, Mondial — white and cream Dutch classics. A neutral base for mixed arrangements and wedding work. Avalanche+ holds its form 12–15 days in good conditions.
• Juliet, Patience — David Austin garden roses with a cupped bud and a scent of myrrh and peach. They travel only a short hop across the Irish Sea. For weddings and a heartfelt personal gift.
• Tiffany, Sweet Avalanche — blush-pink and soft tones. A calm palette for bright Irish interiors.
• Explorer, Topaz — Ecuadorian varieties with 80–100 cm stems. For large display bouquets, baskets and corporate gifts.
• Spray roses — several buds per stem, lighter and airier in composition. Good for everyday gifts and accent stems.

Occasions and stem counts

A single stem is a spare note of attention. Seven to nine stems is a romantic gift without theatrics. Twenty-five signals a proper celebration or declaration. Fifty-one and 101 are reserved for anniversaries, engagements and milestone dates.

Dublin keeps no rigid colour rules — red is not reserved for romance alone, and bold tones sit happily in a bouquet for a lively party in Temple Bar or a family gathering. For the quieter interiors of Ranelagh or Ballsbridge, white, cream and blush pink are the usual choice.

Freshness and logistics

Dutch roses leave the Aalsmeer auction and reach Dublin two ways: by air freight into Dublin Airport in about a day, or by refrigerated lorry on the direct Rotterdam–Dublin ferry route, which has grown noticeably since Brexit. From cut to the recipient's door takes two to three days; cared for properly, the roses then last 10–14 days.

Ecuadorian long-stemmed varieties arrive by air through European flower hubs — four to six days from the high-altitude plantation (2,800–3,000 m) to a Dublin bouquet. The trade-off is exceptional stem length and bud density, achieved by the cold mountain climate. David Austin English roses come from the other side of the Irish Sea and, in season, reach the bouquet especially fresh.

"Dubliners love their flowers, but they pay attention to quality — we have a rose garden in St Anne's Park on our doorstep, so people have something to compare against. They look at the bud, feel the stem. If you carry a rose across half of Europe, the cold chain is an obligation, not an option."

— Aoife Brennan, florist, Dublin, 12 years in the trade

Delivery specifics in Dublin

Dublin has a mild maritime climate. Winters hover around +4 to +8 °C; hard frosts are rare, but there is plenty of damp, wind and "soft" rainy days, and snow rarely settles for long. Summers are cool, +16 to +20 °C, with anything above +25 °C the exception. The main risk for cut flowers here is wind and rain rather than frost, so in winter bouquets travel in thermal bags and the wrapping shields the bud from moisture. Spring and autumn are the easiest seasons for delivery.

We deliver roses across all districts of Dublin: City Centre, Temple Bar, Ballsbridge, Ranelagh, Rathmines, Donnybrook, Sandymount, Clontarf, Howth, Dún Laoghaire, Dundrum and Drumcondra. Payment is in euro (€, EUR). Peak dates: Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day (14 February), Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day, the fourth Sunday of Lent, in March) and St. Patrick's Day (17 March), when the city is especially busy. Order three to five days ahead for these dates; a full week ahead for Valentine's Day.

Home care

On arrival, re-cut the stems at 45° — ideally under water — and strip any leaves below the waterline to prevent rot. Place in a clean vase with cool water and a sachet of flower food or a pinch of sugar. Change the water every two days.

Older Dublin houses can run hot in winter or, conversely, a little damp — for roses, steady coolness matters most. Keep the bouquet in the coolest part of the home, ideally near a bedroom window and away from the radiator or fireplace. Keep roses away from bananas, apples and pears: the ethylene that ripe fruit emits shortens cut-flower life by around a third. Roses suit almost any occasion — message our team to match variety, colour and stem count to the occasion and budget.