How to Find Flower Shops That Deliver the Freshest Flowers and How to Keep Those Flowers Fresh

Whether you are opening a new business in downtown Houston or planning a surprise gift for a loved one on their special day, you can use some help from any of the city’s top flower shops that deliver the freshest blooms. Indeed, flowers are a perfect gift for any occasion, but let’s face it, they don’t last very long. Leave them unattended for a few hours and they’ll wilt before your eyes. Nothing feels more upsetting than receiving wilted flowers, so you have to find a way to somehow keep your flowers perked up before you surprise someone with them.

Have you ever wondered how flower shops are able to keep their flowers fresh for hours or even days? Some of the flowers they sell are not even native to the United States, which means they must have come from distant countries, braving hours of flight and tedious customs clearance and agriculture inspections at the airport. Yet they look as if they were freshly picked from the backyard. Whatever technique they are using is most likely a trick that you can also learn to apply in situations where preserving flowers is necessary.

Transporting from a Distant Land

Ever since the floral industry went global in the late 19th century, florists have taken the science of preserving the freshness of flowers very seriously. They’ve invested considerable amounts of resources in discovering technologies that would enable them to transport fresh flowers to long distances, and apparently their persistence paid off. Now, you can send flowers to anywhere in the world without the worry that they might lose their freshness during the travel.

Like fruits, meat, and vegetables, flowers are classified as perishable products. When transporting perishable products, it is crucial to take into account the travel time and the manner of storage. Because it would only take hours to a couple of days before flowers start wilting, they require the fastest means of transportation, i.e. by air. It is rare for flower farms to export products via the sea.

Meanwhile, the manner of storage depends on the types of flower being transported. Some flowers that cannot survive long without water have to be placed in water buckets or picks. Unfortunately, doing so increases the weight of the payload, which explains the high cost of most water-dependent flowers. Those that can last long outside water are usually dry-packed, and since they neither cause much weight nor take up large spaces, they are often transported in large quantities.

Temperature and airflow are huge factors, too. The storage room must be temperature-controlled to slow down growth and wilting. Sometimes, special cooling is needed to prevent anthesis or the opening of the flower bud. Increase or decrease in humidity levels may also affect the quality of the flowers. A balance in temperature and humidity helps keep the flowers’ moisture content intact until they reach the flower shop.

Ordering flowers from overseas is a risky business. It would be more practical to look for a flower shop that grows their own flowers, such as River Oaks Plant House. This way you can be sure that the items you will pick are truly fresh and a delight to the senses.

How Flower Shops Perk Up Their Blooms

Flower shops maintain the freshness of their products in the same way transporters do. They also use refrigeration to provide a cool environment for their blooms. They keep their workplace as clean as possible to prevent contaminating the flowers. Replacing the water in the buckets at least every other day is also included in their routine. Here are other tricks that you might want to try yourself if there are flowers you need fresh for several days or longer.

• Trimming

  Cutting an inch off of the bottom of the stems is believed to also help keep flowers fresh for longer. Some people think this technique doesn’t work, but only because they are doing it the wrong way. Experienced florists in Houston suggest cutting the stem at a 45-degree angle using a sharp, non-serrated knife instead of a pair of scissors. They even do it in a bowl of water to prevent air from permeating into the stem and sealing off the passage of water and nutrients the flowers need to stay alive and healthy.

• Water Mixture

  Pure water may keep your blooms in shape for a few hours but it can only do so much. A special agent has to be mixed with it to improve its stimulating power. Bleach, cider, and soda are staple additives, although most florists are more particular with their chemical composition rather than just their type or brand. They understand that it’s the acidity of these products that causes the invigoration of plant life, which is why they also know that anything acidic could work. They prefer using more natural products, such as lemon juice and sugar as add-ins.

There are other home products that you could try as well, including vodka, hairspray, and aspirin. However, you have to be careful of the amount you will use, as overdosing the flowers with acid may have a reverse effect. Nonetheless, it won’t hurt to try them out since these products are easy to find anyway. It’s also advisable to put copper coins into the vase water. Copper is one of the few metals that have the ability to trigger oligodynamic effect, a phenomenon that kills bacteria by targeting certain types of protein in their cells. By killing bacteria, you can reduce spoilage.

Of course, you don’t have to go through all this because a florist can take care of the flowers you want for your special occasion. Some trusted flower shops in Houston even provide delivery services, so there nothing to worry about. They can send your flowers to your desired recipient on time and in their freshest state. You may ask, “Do flower shops deliver on weekends or holidays?” Well, most of them do, thanks to their amazing skill in preserving flowers. Should you need them for your wedding or for a party, they can definitely have the flowers ready when needed. You can use these preservation techniques to keep your everyday flowers fresh instead.

Source:

How to Make Flowers Last Longer: 8 Pro Tricks, RD.com