Flower Care Guide

Flowers are perishable commodities. Proper care will extend the life and beauty of fresh-cut flowers. Use this guide at home or share it with your floral department team.

Fresh Cut Flower Care

Whether you received a floral bouquet or a consumer bunch of a single flower variety, hydrating flowers as quickly as possible is highly important.

  • Immediately remove flowers from box and unpack
  • Begin with a clean vase and fill half full with fresh tap water
  • Add floral preservative, if provided, following instructions on the packet
  • Remove leaves that may fall below the water line
  • With a sharp pair of scissors or floral knife, trim at least 1” off the bottom of each stem, cutting at an angle, to reach the desired height
  • Stagger stem height to create an interesting floral display and arrange in vase

    To extend the life of your flowers:

  • Check water level of vase often and replenish as needed, every 2-3 days. Flowers will take up a lot of water the first couple of days
  • Recut stems every few days
  • Remove spent blooms and leaves as they naturally occur
  • Keep flowers out of direct sunlight and away from hot or cold drafts

Additional tips:


Asiatic & Oriental Lily

To encourage lilies to open faster, keep them in a warm room but out of direct sunlight. As lilies open, carefully remove the pollen-covered stamen with a tissue. This will extend the life of the lily and also help avoid loose pollen which may stain. Should pollen soil clothing, furniture, or other surfaces, simply blot with sticky tape, blow, or dust away, but do not rub. Should pollen stain a washable fabric, use an enzymatic detergent to pretreat and wash as directed.

Gerbera Daisy

Open and remove Gerbera from packaging upon arrival. Stems may appear limp but please do not worry. The flowers have journeyed from our farm to you and are thirsty. After giving stems a fresh cut, allow a few hours to hydrate and the flowers should perk up. In addition, the floral preservative sent with flowers will help keep water clean as Gerbera are very sensitive to bacteria that may develop in water. Fresh, clean water is the key to fresh cut flower longevity.

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemums are hardy and long lasting! Just be sure to remove any foliage that may fall below the water line and add the white patch sent along with your chrysanthemum this will help to keep the water clean and that is the key to longevity!

Potted Orchid Care

WATER for plants potted in MOSS: Water every 10-14 days depending on climate.
WATER for plants potted in BARK: Water every 3-5 days depending on climate.
Let water run through the plant roots for 45 seconds, drain thoroughly (do not let orchid roots sit in water) and then replace in decorative pot.
LIGHT: Indirect, filtered light is best. Plants with limp, dark green leaves may be getting too little light, plants with yellow leaves may be getting too much light.
TEMPERATURE: A comfortable temperature between 60°F at night and up to 80°F during the day is optimal. Cooler weather will help to initiate flower spikes.
HUMIDITY: Phalaenopsis like some humidity and therefore do well in a bathroom or near a kitchen sink.
FERTILIZE: Use a 20-10-20 fertilizer during active growth and once monthly at other times. A good rule is to fertilize “weakly, weekly”
POTTING: Re-potting can be successfully completed in the spring just after the plant has finished its bloom cycle. Keep in mind phalaenopsis roots prefer to be slightly crowded. The pot should be just large enough for the roots. Using bark or coconut chips during potting will allow for aeration of the roots.