Florist Rosario Parenti:

“I like working with Avalanche+® roses - they offer quality and style”
How do you as a business celebrate the end of a long lockdown? Rosario Parenti of Rosario Flowers in Rome took part in the Queen of Flowers Week with the Queen of Roses. “It was a joy to be able to get back to work,” he says. “Particularly with these roses.” Portrait of an Avalanche+® enthusiast.

How did you end up in the flower business?
Rosario Parenti: “From a young age I always had an interest in creativity, design, decorations. I dressed shop dummies in recycled materials, and so I created fantastical clothing with papier-mâché flowers. That's how it started.”

What sort of training did you have?
“My big passion is creating floral decorations. I gained experience designing window displays with flowers, but also worked on photo-shoots and fashion events in Milan. Then I started producing spectacular floral work for weddings and events in the most stunning locations on the Amalfi coast and the Sorrento peninsula. Those were years of hard work and sacrifice, whereby I was able to work with Naples’ best arrangers. Those designers had a big influence on my skills as a floral designer.”

What impact has the coronavirus had on your business?
“The coronavirus has hit our sector hard, with major economic consequences. The shops were closed for two months, and everyone had stay at home. We also missed Easter, an important celebration in Italy. Ceremonies such as baptisms, weddings, graduations and funerals were also banned. It was challenging for me personally - the shop had only been open for a month and then had to close for two months after having incurred expenses to start the floristry business. It’s a joy to be able to get back to work properly, particularly with these roses.”

What did you do in the Queen of Flowers Week?
“Everyone needed something to cheer them up, so the Queen of Flowers Week - the colourful and fragrant event organised by Federfiori Confcommercio and dedicated to Avalanche+®, the Queen of Roses - was a great success. Rosario Flowers & Gifts Boutique produced various fabulous Avalanche+® bouquets for birthdays and anniversaries and ideas for wedding arrangements. It was a week full of emotion and positive feedback in which customers and friends got to find out more about the quality and beauty of these remarkable roses. The event also offered the opportunity to introduce the roses to a wider public.”

What do you personally think of Avalanche+® roses?
“I love working with them - they offer quality, style and a long vase life.”

What is your buying policy?
“The flower market offers many budget solutions, but buying quality always pays off in the long term. The customers at my boutique are gradually discovering that, thanks to the bouquets that I create which persuade them, and from my advice about roses.”

What else do you offer your customers?
“Rosario Flowers & Gifts Boutique provides lots of information and advice on keeping flowers and plants beautiful for as long as possible. So we give tips about hygiene, dosage, treatment time and the best way to use specific products. From the moment that the flowers arrive it’s important that they are given good care because of the vase life. You need to use the right products for that. I use Chrysal Glory, Chrysal Leafshine, Chrysal Prof.2, Chrysal Prof.3, Chrysal Better Bloom Univ. Sachets. They basically enable you to get even more from the roses. That in turn reflects well on the shop and on Avalanche+®.”

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