The internet is an amazing place; a wizard of Oz wonderland where everything is colorful and interesting. But just like Oz things aren’t always as friendly or genuine as they appear. Many of the images we see of vibrant, exotic flowers have been edited beyond belief to tempt hapless gardeners into buying something that doesn’t actually exist in nature. Learning how to spot a fake is key to saving you from wasting money on a pretty lie.
We’ve all done it at least once. You see a cool picture of some rare flower with shockingly bright colors and instantly you’re hooked. You follow the link on Pinterest to a website claiming that not only is this plant very 100% real, it also just happens to be available for sale. Giddy with your discovery, you share the plant on Facebook to show your friends and order a packet of seeds from the mysterious grower. It’s only when that rare plant doesn’t grow or grows into something completely different than what you ordered that you notice the fine print on the box that says “ALL SALES FINAL NO MONEY BACK GUARANTEE.”
Yep, you’ve been duped.
If this has never happened to you, great! But to make sure it never does here are some quick and easy ways to figure out if that photo of blue roses is fact or fiction.
Reverse Image Search
This is the fastest and easiest way to find the truth about a photo you found online. Using the Google browser go to images. Once there you’ll notice that there is a small camera sitting in the search bar. Click it and it will prompt you to either upload a photo or enter the link address of an image into the search box. This allows you to find the source of the photo and ones like it. If you find only exact copies of the photo you’re looking for at the same angle and from the same site that’s a red flag. If this mythical flower does exist it should have more than one photo shouldn’t it?
This website http://www.tineye.com/ is another way to sniff out fraudulent photos and works essentially just like Google’s version, plus a few more options to benefit your search.
Snopes
The internet loves a good story, even when those stories don’t have a drop of truth. Myths seem to have eternal life on the web, so it’s great that so many fact checking websites exist to cut through the noise. Snopes is one of the most popular and trusted of fact checking sites. If you have doubts about an image and the flower or plant has a name attached, just search the phony sounding story and see if Snopes has covered it. Ever heard of the ‘Moon Melon’? This myth continues to float around today, but Snopes has long proven its falsehood.
Ask A Pro
Are blue roses real? What about black roses? You’ve probably seen dozens of “authentic” photos of roses and other flowers in every shade of the rainbow, and in a perfect world those cool flowers would certainly exist. Unfortunately, nature doesn’t take requests, and some color combinations just don’t exist. When in doubt, ask a professional gardener or a specialist whenever possible. Rosarians specialize in roses (who knew?) and with a heavy heart they will tell you that no, blue and black roses aren’t real. However, they can offer some other fantastic varieties that are sure to thrill you nonetheless! Our favorite Rose Buff is Chris VanCleave aka the Redneck Rosarian who offers plenty of insights on everything rose related.
Be the Change
Friends don’t let friends get scammed. If your research shows you that a flower is false make sure you let other know so that they don’t waste time, money and mental turmoil on bad products. Yes, the myth may still persist (the mighty moon melon is proof of that) but you’ve saved the ones you could from making a mistake and that makes you a hero in our book.
Be wary, be safe, and keep planting!