1. 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

2. 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

3.  Limesurvey web-based survey design tool  66 questions  30-40 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

4.  1813 internet responses  Over 3 months  October, 2012 - early January, 2013  Distributed through  American Rose Society  Rose Hybridizers Association  Texas Landscape and Nursery Association  Word-of-mouth  Email  Facebook  News story Sample

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

6.  Results l 89% grew roses l 94% U.S. residents; Demographics ItemResponses Age (mean group) 55-69 years (49%); 70+ years (23%) Occupation Teachers (36%); Retired (32%); Professionals (10%) <30 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s Number of responses

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

8. Plant Characteristics

9. 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?

10. l How important are these factors in your choice of roses? ItemNone to little (%) Impt (%) Very to most (%) Disease resistance 31187 Fragrance 142462

11. l How important are these factors in your choice of roses? ItemNone to little (%) Impt (%) Very to most (%) Flower color 93160 # of flowers 83953 Mature plant size 154243 Flower size 344521

12. l How important are these factors in your choice of roses? ItemNone to little (%) Impt (%) Very to most (%) Petal number 353630 Foliage color 374023 Foliage glossiness 483518 Prickle number 592417 Prickle size 602516

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. Are there differences between American Rose Society members and non members? TraitARS memberNon member Disease resistance4.4 Fragrance3.73.8 Flower color3.7 Number of flowers3.6 Plant size3.33.4 5= most important, 4= very important 3= important 2= not very important 1= not important at all

19. Are there differences between American Rose Society members and non members? TraitARS memberNon member Flower size3.23.1 Petal number3.02.8 Foliage color2.82.9 Foliage glossiness2.82.5 Prickle number2.22.8 Prickle size2.22.7 5= most important, 4= very important 3= important 2= not very important 1= not important at all

20. How much do you agree or disagree?

21. 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. 56 89 I prefer roses that have fewer big blooms rather than many small blooms. 24 43 33 Disagree = somewhat to strongly disagree; Neutral = neither agree or disagree; Agree = somewhat to strongly agree

22. How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? ItemDisagree (%) Neutral (%) Agree (%) Roses are the most valuable plants in my garden. 1323 64 I would pay more for a rose bush than I would for most other landscaping plants. 2225 53 Disagree = somewhat to strongly disagree; Neutral = neither agree or disagree; Agree = somewhat to strongly agree

23. How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements? ItemDisagree (%) Neutral (%) Agree (%) Roses grow easily in my climate. 2018 62 The best way to keep my rose bushes healthy is to spray them. 48 1735 Roses are difficult to grow. 62 1820 Disagree = somewhat to strongly disagree; Neutral = neither agree or disagree; Agree = somewhat to strongly agree

24. In your ideal rose garden what size of mature bush would you prefer? Knee high (%) Waist high (%) Shoulder high (%) Head high ( %) 748387

25. What color do you prefer? % response 5181530111211

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

27.  How likely are you to purchase that rose variety if it is: ItemUnlikely (%) Not sure (%) Likely (%) Very disease resistant 14 95 Somewhat disease resistant 1631 52 Susceptible to disease 85 105 Unlikely = unlikely and very unlikely and Likely = likely and very likely

28. 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?

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

30.  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

31. 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)

32. 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

33. Rose Breeding at Texas A&M University http://www.facebook.com/tamuroses