Leonidas Rose

The leonidas rose is a great multicolored rose that is a great selection for weddings. Its tough to find at some times though.

Origin

It was first introduced by Meilland back in 1995. I'm not sure if the name was in honor of King Leonidas from Sparta but it wouldn't surprise me. It grew to be incredibly popular as cut flowers. Now, they are tough to find in nurseries as most of them are now grown in Ecuador. Many wedding flower vendors do carry them.

Beauty

They have a very exotic bi-color look, with red colors and yellow underpetal areas. They have long heads and a mild scent, not overpowering. Many of the cut flowers that are shipped in will be almost a brownish color. I think because brown and pink wedding decor is popular, this breed has fit the bill quite nicely.

If you're buying them, you should specify what color as they can easily turn out more red or yellow than brown depending on the season and where they were grown. Generally, Ecuadorian breeds will be more brownish. California grown can look more orange like. Some sellers will have both color options available.

As wedding flowers, they look great in bouquets or as decorations on the table or near the cake. They do look good enough to eat!

Gardening

The Leonidas was originally bred to be a warm weather flower, so its only rated from zones 6-11. Also, keep in mind that unless you live in a mountainous or high altitude, your Leonidas will probably look more red and yellow than brown.