Our Florist Shop

Flower Myths Exposed

There are so many myths out there regarding flowers, how they get around is beyond me.

1/ Will the flowers die before I get home?

If the trip home is a long one, like a ten-hour drive and the flowers will be unprotected and in a hot car with no water, then they will be very sad when you get home.

However if you live within an hours drive and the flowers will be protected and not left in the sun then they will still be in good condition when you get home.  You will need to cut the stems and put them in clean cool water.

Flowers you purchase from a florist should be very fresh, most florists have fresh flowers delivered daily or they get them from the markets, early in the mornings.  They treat them right so they will give you days of lasting beauty.

2/ Why are roses more expensive for Valentine’s Day?

When you think about the number of roses sold on Valentine’s Day, that is a huge amount of roses.  For the rose growers to be able to supply that number of flowers for that one day, there are certain things that have to be done.

Firstly, the bushes have to be pruned at a particular time so that the flowers will be ready for that day.

Then to get that one single bloom on that long stem, everyday each bush has to be checked and the lower sprays nipped off.  It is the opposite to making a bush produce a cluster or spray, the top bud has to be nipped off in that case.
It is the old principle with gardening, to make something grow tall, nip out the lower branches, to make it bush out, nip out the top.
Because of the number of blooms involved at Valentine’s Day, most growers have to employ extra staff to keep this up.  If a florist get in long stem roses and there are small buds down the stem, then she considers these, seconds, they are not the top of the range flowers.  She is not happy, and the grower cannot ask his price for those flowers.

Then there is the picking and packing.  Extra staff is need for this also.  This is the most hectic time for all involved in the flower world.

The florists need to employ extra staff too.   All those roses need to be looked after.

When the delivery arrives in the flower shop, each rose has to be checked for quality.  The stems need to be cut and placed into water with flower food.  The various lengths need to be sorted and the stems cleaned of thorns.  The roses with the best head, best perfume and longer lasting have the most thorns.

So the growers have extra staff, which adds to their costs, the florist needs extra staff which adds to their costs and they all have to work round the clock to get the orders ready for delivery, and they need extra delivery people which also adds to the costs.

So if you are wondering why flowers cost more on the big days, then that may answer that question.  The same applies to Mother’s Day, only there is more of a variety of flowers, but the extra staff, both for growers, florists and couriers applies.

3/ Why can’t my flowers be delivered at the time I want?

Most florists have a courier service.  Some florists do all their own deliveries.  When a florist relies on a flower courier service for her deliveries, then they usually have special times the call in to collect the deliveries.

Mostly these flower couriers will have two, sometimes, three or four times a day they will call in to collect the orders.

Quite often the florist can organize for a delivery at a particular time but not always.   These couriers deliver for other florists too, and they try to work in with the florists’ requests but it is not always possible.

If you want a delivery at a particular time, then call your florist in advance and she should be able to work something out for you.

Many a time I had someone call at say, 1pm and wanted flowers delivered at 1.20pm, would always be something special and the address would be a twenty-minute drive.  More than not this person would bad mouth florists, saying they couldn’t deliver a few flowers just down the road.

A florist needs time to make up your order and the courier needs time to get your order delivered.  If you give both the time to do their jobs as professionals, then you will get great results every time.

4/ Why are flowers at florists so expensive?

There not.  I’m not meaning to be trite here.  But the long and the short of it is, they are not.

If you want a special arrangement made, then you will be paying for the time and expertise of the florist.

If you want a bunch of flowers to take home and put in a vase, then just ask for a market bunch and you will be pleasantly surprised.

Florists don’t normally try to compete with the supermarkets or servos, like service stations, roadside sellers.

Florists buy better quality flowers, so you will get much better value.  If you have an arrangement with the florist to purchase market bunches, the no fuss, take home and put in your wonderful vase, like oriental lilies, Asiatic lilies, gladiolus, spray roses, whatever takes your or her fancy when she is at the markets, you will find for a few dollars a week, your home or office will take on a wonderful feel.

There is nothing like fresh flowers, they can work wonders.