Roses That Last 1 Year

A luxury florist based in New York City is promising real roses that last over a year, and arrive as perfect as when they were first plucked. They even smell fantastic, and you don't have to do a thing to keep them alive. Sound too good to be true? Sunny Chadha and Seema Bansal say eternity roses are a reality with their brand, Venus et Fleur. It all started when the two were first dating. Sunny and Seema were living in different cities, and it was Valentine's Day. He did a bit of research and found a luxury florist, to send Seema roses. But what they sent was nothing like what he thought he was sending. That disappointment led the couple to come up with Venus et Fleur. They wanted high-end flowers that would leave a lasting impression, so they created eternity roses that live 51 weeks longer than most others. Seema says you just need to take care of them properly. And there isn't much to their care. Don't water, pluck or clean them. She advises keeping them away from sunlight, heat and humidity. So how do they do it? Seema says the roses are real roses, grown in Ecuador, which are cut at their most peak and perfect state. They're then treated in a proprietary formula--she'll only say that formula is wax-based. After they're treated they can be dyed any color. Venus et Fleur offers 18 options and can custom dye their roses to match any Pantone shade. Seema came up with the design, tying fashion and luxury into their florals. She wanted it to be a Parisian product, so she went with a hatbox style of packaging and a French name. And the roses are a hit. Seema and Sunny launched in New York in August of 2015, fully funding Venus et Fleur themselves. Just six months later, on Valentine's Day, they completely sold out after the Kardashians posted two of their boxes. Their entire company was shocked when Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian posted photos of Venus et Fleur arrangements within 15 minutes of each other. Their remaining flowers were all gone that day. Since then, their customer base has grown to 7,000 plus, including singer Jesse James Decker and actress Shay Mitchell. They've even made a custom 'Major Key' for DJ Khaled. Venus et Fleur can make custom arrangements for any occasion: a heart or a number for an anniversary, or someone's initial. They even wrote Fox 5 in an arrangement of blue and red roses. Custom Grandiose arrangements like DJ Khaled's Major Key start at $1,499. Do a single eternity rose for $39 or a box of 9 mini eternity roses for $79. Small boxes start at $299 for 12-16 full-sized eternity roses, in their signature hat box. That box serves two purposes. Seema loves how the roses are the first thing you see, because they pop right out of the box. Sunny points out how they don't shift in transit, leaving, as they hoped, a lasting impression. Venus et Fleur also does boxes of traditional roses that last about a week starting at $159. www.venusetfleur.com --ALISON MORRIS