Isn't that nice! Someone bought you fresh, cut flowers. That must have really made your day. Or did you buy flowers for yourself?
Either way, you're going to need to know the tricks that the pros use - ones that will tell you how to make your flowers last.
Read on...
As the owner of an event planning and catering company, people call about all kinds of different jobs. And we do it all. That is, if you want us to.
From the event planner side of things - fresh flowers are one of the main party staples in our decor and design style arsenal of things that we offer our clients.
When we go into in party planning and production mode on a large event, I usually veto the idea of handling the floral work ourselves.
And me, with my "go for the gusto, lets create something outrageously fabulous self" is, thankfully, smart enough to know when to not try to execute some of my highfalutin' floral ideas and concepts.
I can honestly say that I don't know enough about floral construction to actually think I could pull off some of my big, grand ideas. But I know the right people who do. I pick up the phone and call them, and they make what I dream of for our client manifest right in front of the clients eyes.
But when we're hired to produce a small, private party - we sometimes purchase the flowers and design and assemble the flower arrangements ourselves.
You know how parties go. And you know what they say, too. "The devil is in the details".
So as far as I'm concerned, it's always crucial that we pull off the entire party, flawlessly. And keeping it honest with you... Because we're often hired to "do it all", there are just too many things to risk to even think about entertaining the thought of attempting to show off, by trying to be a "fancy, flower-design junkie". That, would be a recipe for disaster.
I've been at this "party thing" a long time. I know better than that.
As good as I've been at keeping flowers looking fresh for a long time, I thought you might appreciate knowing what I know, floral basics. We have fresh flowers on hand a lot. We use fresh flowers for more than flower arrangements.
At a "Carlo" party, the joke is that even the garnish gets garnished. Of course that's not really true. But let's just say that I like the lush density that you can achieve with fresh cut flowers. We use flowers to enhance things, a lot.
People ask questions about how to care for cut flowers - like... Can aspirin prolong the life of cut flowers? I wonder how to keep cut flowers fresh? Help! What's the correct way to go about preserving cut flowers? What is the symbolism of cut flowers? How do I go about preserving fresh cut flowers? Does water temperature affect the length of time cut flowers last? How do I keep cut flowers fresh? What substance prolongs the life of cut flowers? Does sugar prolong the life of cut flowers? What vitamins prolong the life of cut flowers? They even want to know things like, Can Easter Lilies be used as cut flowers? And where can I get wholesale cut flowers for weddings?
Questions like these can be asked all day long. Yet, after asking goo-gobs of questions, the #1 necessary thing to know is: tips for day-to-day care.
If you desire to make your fresh cut flowers or flower arrangement last as long as you can, here's what you need to know about keeping cut flowers fresh...
Daily care
In the morning:
In the evening:
- Remove dead flowers
- Place remaining flowers in a cold place and store at 41 degrees FahrenheitCelsius) to keep them in good condition. Do this, especially if you'll be out of town for the weekend. *Exceptions are orchids and Anthurium which are best when kept at a temperature of at least 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius).
Flower storage
- Keep the storage time as short as possible.
- Make sure that the temperature is constant during storage. The ideal temperature is around 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius).
- If you're storing several flower arrangements, use the "First In, First Out" rule.
- If possible, avoid extra handling.
Flower transport
- Make sure that the temperature is constant during transport.
- Pack the flowers carefully to prevent damage during transport or by frost.
Prevent contact with Ethylene gas (exhaust fumes, fruit). - If possible, avoid extra handling.
- Always transport in water (no more than 2 inches).
- If flowers are in a dry box, flowers should be carefully fastened and flower buds should be protected to prevent damage.
- Transport flowers at a temperature of 35 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 5 degrees Celsius).
- Keep the transport time as short as possible.
Do not transport flowers together with fruit and vegetables. If this unavoidable, make sure there is adequate ventilation to get rid of Ethylene fumes.
Business, Celsius, Exhaust gas, Fahrenheit, Floristry, Flower, Shopping, Temperature, Vegetable, Water, Food: Technorati Tags
Written by Carlo of Carlo At Your Service Productions
