Growers’ and Consumers’ Perceptions Regarding Roses Available for Purchase Tina M. Waliczek Texas State University David Byrne Texas A&M University and Don Holeman Rose Hybridizer Association

Objectives  Future breeding objectives  Expectations and attitudes about roses l Consumers l Hybridizers l Propagators l Marketers l Members of the American Rose Society vs non members l Age groups  Identify market limitations  Develop strategies to increase rose use

 Limesurvey web-based survey design tool  66 questions  minutes  Multiple sections l Demographic and background l Role in the horticultural supply chain l Physical traits l Diseases l Marketing l Open-ended questions Instrument

 1813 internet responses  Over 3 months  October, early January, 2013  Distributed through  American Rose Society  Rose Hybridizers Association  Texas Landscape and Nursery Association  Word-of-mouth   Facebook  News story Sample

l Microsoft Excel l SPSS 21.0  Frequencies and descriptives  Analysis of variance Data analysis

 Results l 89% grew roses l 94% U.S. residents; Demographics ItemResponses Age (mean group) years (49%); 70+ years (23%) Occupation Teachers (36%); Retired (32%); Professionals (10%) <30 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s Number of responses

l Role in Supply chain Demographics ItemResponses Recreational gardener 84% Plant propagator 23% Rose marketer 19%

Plant Characteristics

How Important Are Disease resistance Flower color Flower number Flower size Foliage color Foliage glossiness Fragrance Mature bush size Petal number Prickle number Prickle size.. In Choosing a Rose Bush?

l How important are these factors in your choice of roses? ItemNone to little (%) Impt (%) Very to most (%) Disease resistance Fragrance

l How important are these factors in your choice of roses? ItemNone to little (%) Impt (%) Very to most (%) Flower color # of flowers Mature plant size Flower size

l How important are these factors in your choice of roses? ItemNone to little (%) Impt (%) Very to most (%) Petal number Foliage color Foliage glossiness Prickle number Prickle size

Importance of Rose Traits 5= most important, 4= very important 3= important 2= not very important 1= not important at all Online survey. 1,439 responses. October 15- December 12, 2012 VERY IMPORTANT IMPORTANT

Importance of Disease Resistance Over Age Groups <30 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 5= most important, 4= very important 3= important 2= not very important 1= not important at all

Importance of Disease Resistance and Fragrance Over Age Groups <30 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 5= most important, 4= very important 3= important 2= not very important 1= not important at all

Importance of Disease Resistance, Fragrance and Flower Color Over Age Groups <30 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 5= most important, 4= very important 3= important 2= not very important 1= not important at all

Importance of Disease Resistance, Fragrance, Flower Color, and Flower Number Over Age Groups <30 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 5= most important, 4= very important 3= important 2= not very important 1= not important at all

Are there differences between American Rose Society members and non members? TraitARS memberNon member Disease resistance4.4 Fragrance Flower color3.7 Number of flowers3.6 Plant size = most important, 4= very important 3= important 2= not very important 1= not important at all

Are there differences between American Rose Society members and non members? TraitARS memberNon member Flower size Petal number Foliage color Foliage glossiness Prickle number Prickle size = most important, 4= very important 3= important 2= not very important 1= not important at all

How much do you agree or disagree?

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? ItemDisagree (%) Neutral (%) Agree (%) I prefer roses that bloom throughout the season rather than just once per year I prefer roses that have fewer big blooms rather than many small blooms Disagree = somewhat to strongly disagree; Neutral = neither agree or disagree; Agree = somewhat to strongly agree

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? ItemDisagree (%) Neutral (%) Agree (%) Roses are the most valuable plants in my garden I would pay more for a rose bush than I would for most other landscaping plants Disagree = somewhat to strongly disagree; Neutral = neither agree or disagree; Agree = somewhat to strongly agree

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? ItemDisagree (%) Neutral (%) Agree (%) Roses grow easily in my climate The best way to keep my rose bushes healthy is to spray them Roses are difficult to grow Disagree = somewhat to strongly disagree; Neutral = neither agree or disagree; Agree = somewhat to strongly agree

In your ideal rose garden what size of mature bush would you prefer? Knee high (%) Waist high (%) Shoulder high (%) Head high ( %)

What color do you prefer? % response

You are shopping and find an attractive rose bush for sale. You research the rose online using your smartphone.

 How likely are you to purchase that rose variety if it is: ItemUnlikely (%) Not sure (%) Likely (%) Very disease resistant Somewhat disease resistant Susceptible to disease Unlikely = unlikely and very unlikely and Likely = likely and very likely

DiseasePercent Black spot41 Downy mildew13 Crown Gall11 Powdery mildew9 Rust8 Anthracnose7 Botrytis blight6 Canker6 Which one of these rose diseases is worse than the others?

Respondents identified the following diseases correctly: DiseaseCorrect responses (%) Black spot 82 Powdery mildew 82 Rust 93

 Rose enthusiasts prefer roses that are: l Disease resistant (low maintenance) l Fragrant flowers l Abundant flowers l Everblooming l Waist to shoulder in height l Red color  Preferences, perceptions and marketing vary with l Age groups l ARS members l Plant suppliers l End-users l Customer Service Providers Conclusions

Future studies  Further explore demographic group differences l Breeders l Those that do not grow roses l Differences between genders  Improve on the survey l Improve its reliability l Better sampling  People who do not grow roses  Younger age groups (<50)

Future studies  Determine market limitations  Strategies to increase rose market  Focus is North America but future l European Union l Asia l Oceania l South America l Africa

Rose Breeding at Texas A&M University