While flowers are perfect for almost all occasions, some of them mean more in certain circumstances. For Valentine, for example, most people prefer to go with roses. For funerals, the perfect flowers are carnations. With valentine’s fast approaching, we put together a guide to buying and caring for flowers.
Factors to consider when choosing a florist
Floristry has become more competitive in the past few years. The industry has evolved from just selling flowers to include such services as handling, care, arrangement, design, and shipping. Below are some essential factors you must consider when picking a florist
- Delivery Services
Flowers are delicate and often need special packaging when in transit. So instead of transporting your flowers yourself and running the risk of incurring losses, why not pick a florist that offers delivery? Or better still, settle on florists that include free delivery as part of their package.
- Affordability
Flowers are relatively expensive, and their beauty is fleeting. Comparing prices between different florists before settling on one goes a long way when spending your hard-earned cash. Critical factors to consider when determining affordability is to check after-sales services such as free arrangement or delivery included in your package.
- Customer service
Avoid companies that only focus on making the sale instead of providing valuable information before you purchase.
- Freshness
The beauty of any flower lies in its freshness. Therefore, avoid browning or wilting flowers.
- Customer reviews
Customer reviews help you know what experiences the people who bought the same flowers with your prospective florist had. Avoid florists with negative reviews
- Return policy
Even after considering all the important factors, you can end up with flowers that don’t meet your expectations. Therefore, you want to ensure you got them from a florist with a clear return policy when this happens. When trying to understand a return policy, include; do they offer money-back or accept to exchange the imperfect flowers?
How to choose Fresh flowers
- Petal colors. Don’t buy flowers with transparent or faded petals. You should also keep away from flowers with browning or wilting petals
- Look out for pollen grains. Flowers with pollen grains are a sign of over maturity.
- Cleanly closed buds. You want the buds to open at the perfect moment during the occasion for which the flowers are intended, not at the shop when buying them.
- Look out for discoloration in stems. The discolored stem is an indication of the presence of bacteria
- Buy Flowers that are in season
Don’t let your vase limit your choice of flowers. It is advisable to buy your flowers first and then decide what kind of a vase you want.
How to Care for Your Flowers
Flowers don’t last forever. However, given how expensive they can be, it is understandable for anyone to want them to last longer. Below are a few ways to care for your flowers to ensure you enjoy their beauty for longer
Cut their stems regularly. Regularly cutting flower stems helps keep them hydrated. Cutting their stems diagonally every 2-3 days helps them absorb water effectively.
Fill the vase with water appropriately. Keep the vase two thirds full to ensure all the flowers touch the water
Change the water regularly. Change vase water every 2-3 days to prevent the spread of bacteria.
Keep your flowers away from direct sunlight. Keeping your flowers under direct sunlight can result in wilting. Avoid keeping your flowers on windows where there is direct sunlight
Check the water temperature- Most flowers require room temperature water. However, some flowers that thrive in cooler temperatures will require below room temperature water. Other flowers also require warm water to blossom faster. If you are unsure what kind of temperature of water your flowers need, reach out to https://www.floristique.sg/ for advice. They’re professional florists offering a wide range of services, including the same-day delivery of fresh flowers.
Remove under-water foliage. Any flowers or leaves left under the water will quickly rot and spread bacteria to the rest of the flower. Remove them as soon as possible.
Feed your Flowers. Most flowers are sold with small flower food packets to keep them alive and fresh. However, if your flower did not come with the package, you could make your flower food by mixing sugar and citric acid.
