13+ Things Your Florist Won’t Tell You

By Michelle CrouchUpdated: Mar. 20, 2019

Discover the secrets to keeping your fresh flowers healthy, vibrant and reasonably priced, straight from the experts themselves.

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1. Put Away Those Scissors

They can crush the stem. Instead, use a sharp, non-serrated knife to cut a quarter of an inch off the bottom of stems, at an angle.

While you’re at it, cut off those leaves below the water line. They breed bacteria.

(Photo: monkeybusinessimages/Istockphoto)

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2. Order Your Flowers On the Right Day

Most flower shops restock on Monday mornings, so that’s the best day.

Fridays and Saturdays are good days to ask what’s on special.

(Photo: Jupiterimages Corporation)

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3. Good Lighting Doesn’t Always Help

Yes, your flowers look beautiful in the window, but the heat from direct sunlight will kill them in a day or two.

(Photo: Comstock/Thinkstock)

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4. Ask for a discount.

We give one to senior citizens, professional groups, and customers we like.

(Photo: Jupiterimages Corporation)

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5. The Trick to Making Flowers Last?

Change the water at least every other day and use the floral preservative we give you, not copper pennies.

(Photo: Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Thinkstock)

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6. Out of Preservative?

Try this: one fourth 7Up, three fourths water, and two or three drops of bleach.

(Photo: Design Pics/Thinkstock)

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7. That Vase Looks Clean, But…

Don’t forget to wash it with soap when you change the water. Otherwise, the bacteria clinging to the sides will contaminate your new water.

(Photo: Hemera/Thinkstock)

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8. How Fresh is your Rose?

Look closely at the bottom of the blossom and see how many outside petals have been removed. The more ripped petals you see, the older it is.

(Photo: Jupiterimages Corporation)

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9. It’s Not Your Nose

Many flowers today don’t have much scent, because growers are breeding for long stems and a lengthy vase life instead.

(Photo: Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock)

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10. We Didn’t Choose February

If it were up to us, Valentine’s Day would be in the summer, when roses are actually in season.

(Photo: Comstock/Thinkstock)

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11. Don’t Rush to Recycle

That cheap glass vase that came with your bouquet? Most of us will gladly reuse it if you return it.

(Photo: Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Thinkstock)

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12. You Get What You Spend

You can buy the cheaper roses somewhere other than a flower shop, but they may droop or lose petals the next day. They were probably cut weeks ago and put in cold storage.

(Photo: Jupiterimages Corporation)

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13. Fruit is the Enemy

It emits ethylene gas, so even in a separate bowl a few inches away, it’s a surefire flower killer.

(Photo: Jupiterimages Corporation)

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14. Go Local

If you want more delivered flowers for your money, find a florist in your recipient’s town and call them directly.

But it’s harder than you think: some florists in the yellow pages and at the top of your Google search are national businesses masquerading as local ones. They even buy local phone numbers. So make sure you look for a physical address in town.

(Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock)

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15. Those Packets do Work!

Our smartest customers ask for bunch of them. Most of us will gladly give you extras.

(Photo: Jupiterimages/Pixland/Thinkstock)

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16. Looking to Jazz up Your Red Roses?

Try pairing them with purple statice or heather. Or just ask us: “What can you put in that will really make her roses stand out?

(Photo: Jupiterimages/Thinkstock)

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17. Weddings Aren’t That Profitable

It’s primarily due to labor costs.

But we’re banking on your future business. Once we do a wedding for you and do it right, you’re a customer for life.

(Photo: Hemera/Thinkstock)

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18. Sorry, I Can’t Play Along

A box of dead flowers for your friend’s 40th birthday? Ha! That’s funny.

But you’ll have to look somewhere else. Come on, my name goes on that.

(Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock)

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19. Do You Like Cold Baths?

Neither do flowers!

(Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock)

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20. Save us Both Time and Plan Ahead

Choose your bridesmaids’ dresses before you come to us.

After spending an hour with you picking flowers, it’s a bit of a drag to do it again six months later because you ended up picking different colour dresses.

(Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock)

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21. Flowers Don’t Water Themselves

Call to complain because your flowers died after just three days, and we know you probably didn’t even add water to the vase.

(Photo: George Doyle/Stockbyte/Thinkstock)

Originally Published: September 24, 2012