You’ve been planning your big event for months now, possibly even years… preparing each detail, budgeting every penny, and wisely noting that buying boxlots from The Flowerman will give you the most “bloom for your buck.” Good for you! We know you’ll have a lot to think about while executing your amazing wedding, and we also know that worrying about keeping your flowers alive is the last thing you want to do. That’s why we at The Flowerman want to take just a couple of minutes to teach you what we’ve learned over the years about proper floral care…
STEP #1: PREPARE WATER FOR YOUR FLOWERS.
Let us give you our most brilliant piece of floral advice. Are you ready? Here it is: “Flowers need water.”
It sounds ridiculous, but week after week we encounter people who forget that stems need to be FULLY submerged in water in order for the flowers to stay alive, and that blossoms prematurely removed from the stem may not be able to properly drink water and survive.
Here’s a list of our most commonly asked questions about water:
Q: What temperature of water should I use?
A: It depends. Usually you will want to put your flowers into cool (not ice!) water. Room temperature water is just fine as well. If you are using lilies and they are still tightly closed, you may wish to put your flowers into bathtub-temperature water to force them to open up faster.
Q: Do I need to put anything special in the water?
A: Not necessarily. Very clean buckets or vases with very clean water is going to be the best thing for your flowers. If it will make you sleep better at night, you can go ahead and purchase commercial powdered floral food from either us or another supplier. Be sure to follow the directions on the packet regarding how much powder to use. Unless you have prior experience, never put bleach into the water as you run the risk of chemically burning your flowers.
Q: Do I need to keep spraying my flowers with a water bottle to keep them fresh?
A: No. Don’t waste your time. Keep your flowers in water and out of the sun and they will be just fine. Spraying your flowers constantly can actually damage your flowers, flawing the appearance of the petals and even causing botrytis (a harmful fungus) to spread over flowers and leaves.
Q: How much water should I give my flowers?
A: Initially, you should fill your buckets with at least five inches of water. Your flowers will have been without water for a while, and they will be thirsty!
STEP #2: CUT YOUR FLOWERS.
We don’t call our newest flower option “The Boxlot Program” for nothing… your flowers will come packed in a box. They will not be in water and they will not be cleaned in any way. You must hydrate your flowers. This is not an option. Even if you are just using the roses for petals and throwing away the stems, you MUST CUT EVERY STEM and place it in water to hydrate. Pulling flowers directly out of the box and plunking them into your buckets without cutting the stems (no matter how clean or pre-powdered the water may be) will result in dead flowers quicker than we can say, “IMPENDING DISASTER!” The stems of your flowers will be sealed up and dried out as a result of shipping, and it’s your job to reopen the ends so they can fully hydrate. Slice at least an inch off the bottom of every stem, making sure that the flowers are placed directly into the water following each cut. You will want to cut the stems at an angle to prevent them from resting flat on the bottom of the bucket and resealing themselves. You do not need to cut the stems underwater, but our general rule of thumb is “less than 10 seconds from the cut to the water.” Be sure to leave your flowers in the water for at least three hours before touching them or unwrapping any cardboard, plastic, or paper from around the stems or blossoms. If you are using roses or hydrangeas, please see our specific flower care section (below) for additional instructions on cutting the stems and properly hydrating the flowers. Hydrating your flowers is a VERY important step, so don’t be impatient!!!
PLEASE NOTE: Your flowers may look puny or even a bit dried out when you pull them out of the box. DON’T PANIC!!! Some slight browning or bruising of your flowers is completely normal. The only time you should worry is if your flowers are moldy, which is very, VERY rarely the case. In nearly all instances, plucking a few of the outer petals or cleaning up your flowers here and there will completely rid your flowers of any unsightly blemishes. Florists complete these hydrating and cleaning steps all the time, so just enjoy the process and remind yourself how much money you’re saving by doing all of the labor yourself. Give yourself plenty of time to complete these steps. (Don’t wait until the day of your wedding or the night before to start pulling your flowers out of the box!) Bear in mind that after hydrating, the blossoms and stems will feel much harder and everything will look more “perky” and fresh. Stems and blossoms will both expand in the water, so never cram too many flowers into your buckets initially as it can damage your product.
ALSO NOTE: We occasionally get calls from brides who are panicked because they are missing lots and lots of roses. Please know that all of our roses are shipped in packs of 25 stems each! The roses are double-layered and rolled up tightly within each bundle. Looking at your roses from the top, you will only be able to count 12 roses. HOWEVER, if you flip your rose pack upside-down and count the stems, you will see that there are indeed 25 roses in each bundle and that you are not missing any flowers at all. (Tricky! 
)
STEP #3: CLEAN YOUR FLOWERS.
You should always remove any leaves that fall below the waterline, regardless of what flower you are using, as they introduce bacteria into the water. Some flowers do require a bit more special treatment. To check if your flowers need any additional care, please see our list below:
ROSES- Before cutting and hydrating your roses directly out of the box, you must loosen any stapled or tightly taped collars from around the rose heads (whether cardboard or plastic) in order to give your roses enough room to expand as they drink. If you don’t take the time to do this, the rose heads may split from the stem at the base of the bloom and the petals will fall right off the stem. Do not remove the cardboard or plastic sleeves entirely while your roses hydrate, simply pop the top set of staples open or cut through the highest level of tape. Once the roses are fully hydrated, you are free to remove all of the outer packaging. Use your fingers or a pair of sharp scissors to eliminate any thorns from the entire stem, as well as any leaves that will be below the waterline. For bouquet work, remove all of the leaves. Do NOT pull off the sepals (those little green things that “hold on” the petals). DO pluck off the outer 3-5 petals of each rose, exposing the clean and soft petals underneath, before working with your roses. If you are working with white or ivory roses, be aware that you can easily bruise them. Never pinch the tops of your roses, lay them roughly on the table, or drop them on their heads… they will bruise!
ORCHIDS- Orchids should not be kept as cold as other flowers. Placing them in a regular refrigerator could cause them to turn brown or freeze. The optimal temperature for storing orchids and other tropical flowers is 55 degrees farenheit.
GERBERA DAISIES- Gerberas can drown if they are given too much water. Keep your gerbs in the package while they are hydrating. After they are fully hydrated, do not place your gerbs into water that is more than an inch or two deep. Bear in mind that you may need to check the water level a time or two to make sure your gerbera daisies do not drink the vase dry… there is a delicate balance! If your gerberas are going to be mixed in arrangements with other flowers that require more water, you may wish to twist a thin wire around the stem of each daisy to keep it from getting “droopy.”
HYDRANGEA- Hydrangeas require more water than just about any other flower. Cutting their stems straight across or at a blunt angle will NOT be sufficient. Each hydrangea stem must be sliced at an incredibly sharp angle (the sharpest that you can cut without losing a finger!) in order to expose more of the tiny tissues that carry water through the stem. Some florists even go so far as to cut their hydrangea stems on a severely sharp angle AND lightly bang the end of the stem with a hammer to make sure the tissues are properly revealed. Hydrangeas like to flop out of their vases (they have heavy heads for such light stems), so make sure that they don’t jump out of their containers during transport. Hydrangeas are very heat-sensitive, so always keep them out of the sun and away from heaters.
ASIATIC AND ORIENTAL LILIES- Lilies can be messy and may cause staining to your clothes or skin if not properly cleaned. To clean your lilies, remove the anthers from each bloom. The anthers are the thin, brown “pods” inside the lily that produce pollen. Do not remove the white filaments (the stamens) that come up from the center of the lily and support the anthers. Also, do not remove the larger “knobby” filament in the middle (the stigma) as it adds beauty to your flower and produces a subtle fragrance. You may want to wear gloves while removing the anthers if they are already started opening up and “shedding.”
SNAPDRAGONS- Snapdragons “snap” easily, particularly when not fully hydrated. Make sure that you place your snaps into tall buckets, perhaps even extending the height of your buckets with cardboard or a ring of folded newspaper to protect your flowers from breakage.
STOCK- Stock is another flower that is fragile before being fully hydrated. You may wish to let your stock hydrate overnight before using it, or you might try wrapping your stock in newspaper while it’s hydrating to keep it a bit more stiff and straight in the buckets. If you are using dark purple or magenta (hot pink) stock, avoid letting the blooms touch the water as they can bleed their vibrant colors when wet. Your stock will most likely feel limp and soft directly out of the box, but it will really firm up and look fresh after a good round of hydration.
STEP #4: KEEP YOUR FLOWERS COOL.
Your flowers don’t always need to be kept in a refrigerator. Many times, simply keeping them out of the sun and in an air-conditioned room is just fine. A basement in the summertime or a garage in the winter may turn out to be the perfect environment for your flowers. Do not keep your flowers in a place that is colder than 35 degrees, and do not allow cold air to blow directly onto the blooms. We do not advise keeping your flowers in the fridge if all you have to work with is your everyday kitchen refrigerator. If you do decide to keep your flowers in the fridge, make sure it does not also contain fruits or vegetables as they produce ethylene gas which browns blooms and wilts flowers.
