Roses of Ecuador
An interesting side trip in the Cayambe/Otavalo/Cotacachi/Cotopaxi volcano area is to check out one of the massive rose-growing operations; if you’re staying at Hacienda Guachalá the staff can give you more info. If you have your own driver most will have visited them, although there’s no guarantee a grower will let you show up unannounced and wander around. Either way if you are driving from Quito you’ll quickly start to notice the hundreds of massive greenhouses flanking the road—roses for sure.
Growing roses for export is big business in Ecuador. Flowers are emerging as a stable and very marketable international crop, earning up to five times per acre what fruit crops bring in, and the Ecuadorian rose is considered one of the biggest and most beautiful of all roses.
About 60 varieties of roses are commercially grown in Ecuador, including red and yellow varieties, purple-colored Ravel and pink-blossomed Anna Nubia. The country takes full advantage of the Ecuadorian sun!
1 Comment
Roses are red and sweet and romantic. And so is Ecuador!