Roses in Cape Town

Roses with delivery in Cape Town: varieties, Cape Town occasions, and freshness from the Adderley Street flower market

Cape Town is the Mother City, the oldest city in South Africa — the Dutch set up a refreshment station here back in 1652. It sits at the foot of Table Mountain, between two oceans, in the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom — the smallest and richest plant kingdom on earth, home to the protea and the fynbos. In the corporate City Bowl, on the V&A Waterfront, and in leafy Constantia, a rose goes to a dinner, an anniversary, an office opening; in Sea Point and Observatory it is simpler and warmer, for a family occasion. The Cape buyer judges stem firmness and bud freshness. We built the catalogue with that taste in mind.

The category covers single-variety bouquets, mixed arrangements, and single stems. Sizes range from a 6-rose bundle to a formal 50 or 100-stem presentation. For hotels, restaurants, and corporate orders in the City Bowl and on the Waterfront, we supply box and hatbox formats.

Which varieties to choose

We work with three sourcing groups: local South African roses from farms in the Western Cape; Kenyan high-altitude roses (Kenya is the world's largest cut-rose exporter); and Dutch classics. Each group has its natural occasion — from a bold statement to a quiet gesture.

• Freedom — deep red, bud diameter 6–7 cm, stem 70–80 cm. A vase life of up to 14 days. The benchmark red rose for anniversaries and Valentine's orders.
• Avalanche+ — pure white, large dense bud, no scent. A neutral anchor for any mixed arrangement and for wedding work.
• Red Naomi — dark burgundy-red with velvet-textured petals. Photogenic and dramatic — often requested for receptions and hotel lobbies.
• Juliet, Patience — David Austin garden roses. Cup-shaped, densely petalled, with a myrrh and apricot fragrance. A natural choice for bridal bouquets and gifts meant to please.
• Tropical Amazona — coral-to-orange gradient. Works well for summer compositions.
• Sweet Unique — lilac-pink tones, mid-sized bud. An unexpected choice for those who want to move beyond the predictable red-and-pink palette.

Occasions and stem count

One stem is a quiet, considered gesture. Three: a friendly thanks. Seven or nine: romantic without being theatrical. Twenty-five reads as a serious declaration. Fifty and 100 are reserved for anniversaries, engagements, and milestone dates.

The biggest rose day of the year is Valentine's Day (14 February). In Cape Town it falls in high summer, and demand for the red rose peaks then. Next come Mother's Day (the second Sunday of May) and National Women's Day (9 August) — a public holiday marking the 1956 women's march, increasingly an occasion for flowers. Roses are also chosen for weddings in the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek winelands, graduations, corporate openings, and Christmas, which here is a summer holiday.

Freshness and logistics

Some of our roses are local, from farms in the Western Cape — a short delivery leg and minimal stress on the flower. Imported varieties arrive by air through Cape Town International Airport (CPT) — above all the Kenyan high-altitude roses from the Lake Naivasha region and Dutch cut stems. Cut flowers have long been traded at the historic Adderley Street flower market (Trafalgar Place) in the city centre, where families have sold flowers for generations.

From unloading to your door, the window is 24 hours or less. Flowers are held in cold storage at +4…+6°C until assembly. From cut to the recipient's vase takes 2–3 days, and with proper care Dutch and Kenyan varieties last 10–14 days, David Austin garden roses 7–10.

"In Cape Town the main factor is the wind. In summer the south-easterly 'Cape Doctor' blows hard enough to dry and batter the petals, so any open-air delivery has to be planned carefully. Winter brings its own problems: cold fronts, rain, damp. So we run the cold chain hard, especially around Valentine's, when the city clears the red roses in a couple of days."

— Carmen Adams, florist, Cape Town, 12 years in the trade

Delivery specifics in Cape Town

Cape Town sits by the sea, with a Mediterranean climate: dry warm summers and mild wet winters — the reverse of the rest of the country. Summer (December–February) is dry, +24–27°C by day, with the strong south-easterly 'Cape Doctor' wind that can blow for days on end. Winter (June–August) is cool and rainy, +16–18°C by day and near +8°C at night, with cold fronts off the Atlantic. There is no snow. In summer we move bouquets with wind and anti-drying protection and add cooling packs; in winter we guard against rain and draughts.

We deliver roses across all districts of Cape Town: City Bowl, Gardens, Tamboerskloof, Sea Point, Green Point, V&A Waterfront, Bantry Bay, Clifton, Camps Bay, Constantia, Bishopscourt, Newlands, Claremont, Rondebosch, Kenilworth, Wynberg, Bo-Kaap, Woodstock, Observatory, Hout Bay, Tokai, Durbanville, Bellville, Century City. Payment is in rand (ZAR, R), by card online. For Valentine's Day and Mother's Day we recommend ordering a week ahead; for anniversaries, 3–5 days.

Care at home

On arrival, cut the stems at a 45° angle with a clean knife, remove any leaves below the waterline, and place them in a clean vase with cool water. Change the water every two days; add a Chrysal sachet or a pinch of sugar. Keep the bouquet away from direct sun, air-conditioning, and ripening fruit — ethylene from apples and bananas shortens vase life by roughly a third.

Cape Town's summer wind dries flowers faster than usual, so keep the vase away from open windows and draughts. On hot dry days, when the room exceeds +26°C, move the roses to the refrigerator overnight to add 2–3 days of life. In winter, by contrast, protect the bouquet from the direct flow of a heater. Roses suit almost any occasion: message our manager and we'll help match the variety, colour, and stem count to the task and budget.