One Million for Flower Carpet

Media Release

One Million for Flower Carpet

Today the one millionth Flower Carpet® Rose in New Zealand was planted in the grounds of Kidz First Children’s Hospital in Otahuhu, Auckland. Children from Kidz First helped Anthony Tesselaar, managing director of Tesselaar International, to dig the hole and place it in the ground.

“Reaching this magical ‘one million’ figure is very special, and we wanted to give something back to the community to commemorate it,” says Mr Tesselaar. “That’s why we have donated a number of roses to Kidz First and why we’re planting the one millionth rose here in the Lions Healing Garden. Roses have always been associated with healing and they symbolise what this hospital represents for children – care, hope and future.”

Mr Brian Rousseau, Chief Operating Officer of South Auckland Health, says
"we are very honoured to be chosen by Anthony Tesselaar International to be the site for the planting of the one millionth Flower Carpet Rose in New Zealand. Roses have for centuries been acknowledged for their healing properties, and it is therefore quite appropriate for roses to be planted in the Lions Healing Garden. Today, we know that restoring good health requires more than just doctors and medicine to mend the body, but also most importantly colour and fragrance to restore the soul.

“I am sure that the fragrance and colour of the Flower Carpet Roses, and in particular the latest addition to the series, Flower Carpet Coral, will play a major silent role in restoring young and old souls alike in the years to come," says Mr Rousseau.

The planting was followed by the cutting of a cake, then a tour of the hospital where each child was given a newly released Flower Carpet Coral to take home and plant in their own garden.

Kiwis love them best

“Flower Carpet Roses have been a worldwide phenomena but none have taken to them like the Kiwis,” says Anthony Tesselaar. “On a per head basis, one in four New Zealander’s has a Flower Carpet rose in their garden. That’s a lot of roses!”

Flower Carpet Roses were first introduced to New Zealand in 1992 with the launch of the first in the series - Pink. It literally took the market by storm and created a huge furore in the gardening industry in this country.

Bob Edwards, industry commentator and editor of Commercial Horticulture, says the impact this rose has had on the industry is astounding.

“Initially, it completely floored the rose growers. Finally, here was a rose that was easy to grow, easy to look after and looked good just about all year round – it cemented what gardeners were looking for. And nine years on, there’s still nothing that beats it,” he says.

“In essence, Flower Carpet has simplified gardening. You can almost forget it’s a rose and think of it as any other shrub.”

Mr Edwards says the Flower Carpet series has made a massive contribution to the gardening industry in New Zealand – around $15 million. He believes no other rose would have contributed anywhere near that figure. “And there’s still plenty of mileage in it yet – we haven’t seen the last of it!” he says.

“It usually takes about 20 years to create a classic,” says Bob Edwards. “Flower Carpet has become a classic in less than nine years.”

There are now six roses in the series – Pink, White, Appleblossom, Yellow, Red, and the latest release, Coral. All share the same prolific and long flowering habit and easy-care attributes that have led to Flower Carpet's remarkable success since its launch. Twenty million have been sold worldwide.

Flower Carpet continues to be a winner with 14 international awards to its credit, including the highly coveted German ADR Rose Award and the Dutch Gold Medal at Boksroop.

Anthony Tesselaar International Limited

Anthony Tesselaar International is a world leader in the innovative marketing and distribution of plants specially bred and selected to make gardening easy for the consumer. Established in 1993, the Australian-based company has developed an international network of breeders, licensed growers, distributors, marketing agencies and public relations firms to market its plants successfully throughout Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, France, Holland, Japan, South Africa, Canada and the USA.

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