Wooing with Gladiator, the rose

Gift a Gladiator to your loved one this Valentine’s Day. We are not referring to the violent Gladiators of the Roman Empire or any fancy vehicle.

This Gladiator is a well-opened, beautiful, red rose available in the market starting from just Rs3 per flower.

The rose named Gladiator is the most preferred choice of couples on their special day of love. “It is strong and larger when compared to other roses available. It is openly cultivated and has the ability to survive in the toughest of situations. Considering its ability to survive in any given condition, it has been called the Gladiator,” said Arshad Bhiwandiwala, secretary, All India Rose Federation (AIRF).

Gladiator is largely cultivated in Nashik, Tasgaon, Pune in open farms. “In India, the open cultivation of roses has been on the decline. It is largely because of the increasing labour and farming costs. The farmer has to protect his plant from a number of diseases too. However, Gladiator, the fighter rose survives against all the odds and its cultivations is highly economical,” said Avinash Kubal, deputy director, Maharashtra Nature Park.

According to Bhiwandiwala, plantation of Gladiator on one acre of land gives a profit of around Rs1 lakh.

“But they are not liked by the Europeans and are not exported. Europeans prefer close, long budded and small roses. Therefore, only greenhouse roses are exported there,” he added.

Gladiator in winter turns dark red colour, while in summer it’s pink.
However, from last two years the greenhouse roses have also been  making their presence felt in the Indian market.

“These (greenhouse roses) are costly, compared to openly cultivated ones such as Gladiators. Why charge more when you have the perfect gift available,” commented Bhiwandiwala.