Archive for the Flower Care Tips Category

Bridal bouquets come in all sorts of styles, shapes and sizes. One of the most popular styles of bridal bouquets is the hand-tied bouquet. Below are some simple directions on how to create your hand-tied bouquet with do-it-yourself (DIY) wedding flowers:

1. Remove the thorns and foliage from the roses. To remove the thorns, simply take clippers and trim off the points on the thorns
2. Select 3 large roses and tape them together - these will be the center of your bouquet.
3. Add another 3 or 4 roses to the bouquet and tape them to your original grouping.
4. If you choose to incorporate fillers and greens into your bouquet, add them to the mix as you see fit.
5. Continue to add roses 3 or 4 at a time and tape them together. Taping the roses after adding 3 or 4 stems will ensure that your bouquet stays nice and tight.
6. Once you have built your bouquet to the size you would like, secure the bouquet by wrapping another layer of tape down the stems about 6 or 8 inches.
7. Wrap the ribbon beginning at the top of the bouquet down towards the bottom.
8. Leave the ends of the ribbon long if you would like them to cascade off the bottom of the bouquet.
9. With a sharp knife or clippers, trim the bottom of the stems a little bit up from the bottom - leaving the stems longer than you will need them - and set the bouquet in a vase or pitcher of water.
10. If your ribbon has loose ends, rubber band them up the stems to keep them out of the water.
11. Fill the vase with just enough water to cover the bottom of the stems - do not get your tape or ribbon wet.
12. Shortly before the festivities begin, clip the stems to the length you want with a sharp knife or clippers and wipe the bottom of the stems with a towel to catch any drips that might be there.

Special Tips:

- Be sure to store your fresh cut flowers in a cool environment. When working with fresh cut flowers - and especially roses - it is very important to remember that the cooler the temperature, the slower the flowers will open, and the longer they will last.

- Wherever possible, practice first. Purchase some flowers from your local florist or grocery store and familiarize yourself with this process so that it isn’t foreign to you as you prepare your wedding flowers.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions as you plan for or work with your wedding flowers.

This year many of our customers ordered Hydrangea as their wedding flowers, or as supplemental flowers to their bouquets and arrangements of wedding flowers.

Hydrangea are GORGEOUS flowers and make for absolutely STUNNING arrangements. In order to get the most out of your Hydrangea, you will want to follow the care tips below:

* Hydrangea are very water-dependent flowers. If the Hydrangea is taken out of water, it will show fatigue and signs of dehydration very quickly.

* When shipped from the farms, Hydrangea are prepped with a little water packet on the bottom of the stem. Upon arrival, you will want to remove this packet, cut the stem of the Hydrangea about 1/2 inch up from the bottom UNDER WATER. Some farmers would explain it that the flower is essentially holding its breath in shipping. When you cut the stem, you want that first big breath to be of water… not air.

* After you have cut the stem, place it immediately in water. You will want to change the water and re-cut the stem every other day so that the flower has a clean uptake for fresh water.

As always, if you have any questions about caring for your wedding flowers, please do not hesitate to contact one of our customer service representatives at 1-888-297-3000.

The Grower’s Box specializes in the shipping and procurement of premium fresh cut flowers. The majority of these wedding flowers and wholesale flowers are shipped directly to your door in an early blooming stage so as to ensure a safe transit and extremely long-lasting flowers!

Oriental Lilies and Asiatic Lilies are perfect examples of flowers shipped in closed blooms. From time to time (often depending on the weather) these flowers are harvested with very tight blooms which may require additional time to open. Below are some special care tips that can be followed to encourage these blooms to open. These steps are only to be followed if the blooms are not opening after a day or two in water. DO NOT follow these steps if your flowers are opening on their own.

** ONLY FOLLOW THESE STEPS IF YOUR BLOOMS HAVE NOT BEGUN TO OPEN AFTER A DAY OR TWO IN WATER**

Under most circumstances we strongly recommend our customers store flowers in cooler temperatures (we recommend temperatures less than 65 degrees). Cooler temperatures will help the flowers to open slower and last longer.

Warmer temperatures encourage flowers to open faster. Please keep in mind that once flowers are open, there is no reversing the process… they will remain open. ‘Steaming’ Oriental and Asiatic Lilies is a way to encourage these blooms to open by exposing them to warmer temperatures. The steam not only provides a warm atmosphere for these flowers, but also moisture which prevents the flowers from drying out as they are exposed to warmer temperatures.

‘Steaming’ Oriental and Asiatic Lilies:

- Cut the stems about 1 inch up from the bottom and place the flowers in clean water.

- Set the container with the flowers on the bathroom counter (where they will not get wet).

- Close the bathroom door.

- Turn on the shower using only hot water.

- Once the room is sufficiently ’steamed up’, turn off the shower, leave the flowers in the ’steamed up’ bathroom, and shut the door.

- After about 30 minutes, return to the bathroom and steam it up again.

- Repeat this process until the blooms have begun to open.

- Once the flowers have begun to open, set the flowers in a warmer environment (such as on the kitchen counter or dining room table). Again, the warmer temperatures will help these flowers to continue to open.

If you have any questions about caring for your wedding flowers or wholesale flowers, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department at 1-888-297-3000.