Keep your cut flowers as fresh as can be
Whether you walk around inside a flower shop or simply stroll past their window, you cannot help but notice how perfectly fresh and crisp all their blooms always are. When you buy a bunch, it looks absolutely impeccable which makes many people wonder just how they manage to achieve such perfection.
All florists, even those who sell their bouquets online, know that flowers need certain conditions in order to stay fresh. Temperature is the number one concern and you don't want your flowers to endure blistering heat or excessively cold conditions. Florists might leave some flowers out on display for customers to view but, for the most part, their blooms are kept in a controlled environment or fridge. The refrigeration system keeps these stems at just the right temperature to ensure that they last as long and are not subjected to the weather outside. The optimal temperature inside these refrigeration units rages from 3 to 8 degrees Celcius and it's essential that the temperature is not only low but also constant.
Some shoppers visit a flower shop and pick the bouquet they want right then and there. There are also many occasions where shoppers will place their flower order in advance (particularly when shopping for flowers online). In this case, the florist will make all of the pre-ordered bouquets on the day or the night before and they will then be stored in the fridge until they are delivered or collected. So, even once the bouquet has taken shape, the flowers are still treated to the same favourable conditions in order to ensure maximum freshness and customer satisfaction.
When flowers are delivered, they are carefully placed inside a delivery vehicle. Not only are they secured in place to ensure that they do not tip over, but they are also shielded from things like wind and direct sunlight. Depending on the florist, some vans are also fitted with cooling systems to ensure that the inside of the van does not get too warm and cause the bouquets to wilt.
Another important point to remember is that florists stock a large quantity and variety of fresh flowers. These flowers are grouped together according to type and colour. They are placed in larger buckets of water and the stems are kept as long as possible. The water is changed regularly and the stems are trimmed as needed to ensure that bacterial growth on the stems does not inhibit water absorption. When stems are trimmed, the tools used are cleaned between batches. This is to prevent the transfer of any diseases or bacteria. So, if one batch of flowers is not doing well, it will not affect the next batch.
These are all things we can do at home to help our cut flowers last longer. You might not be able to keep your flowers in the fridge but you can choose a nice cool spot, out of the sun, for them to boast their beauty.
