New Homes for Unused Rose Parade Float Flowers

Unused Rose Parade floats flowers (Photo – W.K.)

So, what happens to all the flowers that aren’t used on floats for the Rose Parade?

By Cheryl Cabot

They used to be thrown away, until Keith and Sue Jesson starting picking up the soon-to-be discarded flowers. With the help of hundreds of volunteers, the flowers are collected in large buckets and transported to a staging area where they are bundled into bouquets.

This year four U-Haul’s of flowers were delivered to the Walter Hoving Home in Pasadena for assembling.

Shannon Soper, business manager for the Walter Hoving Home, said “The Rose Parade Flower Ministry has been going on for over 20 years, and this year we are hosting. After the Rose Parade the bouquets will be distributed to 110 convalescent homes throughout Pasadena and the surrounding area to shed some love and kindness to elderly residents that are alone or just don’t have family visiting during the holidays.”

The Walter Hoving Home works with women who struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. Volunteers are current or former residents of Hoving Home, as well as members of various churches in the area.

Preparing the flowers to be made into bouquets (Photo – W.K.)

Assembling the flowers (Photo – W.K.)

Cutting flower stems (Photo – W.K.)

Ready for delivery in the morning of the parade (Photo – W.K.)