How to Pick the Freshest Flowers for Your Valentine

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. And being the romantic and caring person that you are, you want to give your Valentine some beautiful flowers this February 14th. Although you can simply and conveniently order flowers online or even over the phone, you’ve decided you would rather go to your local florist and hand pick the flowers this year because it’s more personal and meaningful! Plus, you can see how fresh the flowers are!

Here are some tips to picking out the freshest flowers at your local florist:

• Flower are usually delivered weekly. Ask your florist when the flowers are usually delivered for the freshest stock.
• Check the bucket of water the flowers are in. Make sure the water is clean; avoid flowers that are in murky, brown or slimy water. Flowers left sitting in unchanged water will rot.
• Flowers in full bloom are beautiful and are tempting to buy, but they will not last as long as flowers that are just beginning to open. Choose blooms with unopened buds, but avoid buds that are too tight, as they might be harvested immaturely and will never open.
• Avoid petals that are faded, wilted, or brown. Fresh flowers will have vibrant, firm petals. Also check for pollen or seeds on the blooms, as this indicates the flower is past its prime.
• Look for sturdy, firm, green  stems. Avoid stems that are broken or bent, as flowers need to be able to absorb water and nutrients to stay alive.
• Check the foliage for signs of disease or pests. Fresh flowers will have bright green, firm leaves. Avoid leaves that have spots, residues or holes.
• Many tropical flowers, chrysanthemums, carnations, alstroemerias are some of the longest lasting cut flowers you can buy.  You can’t go wrong with any of those choices.
• Once you brought them home, be sure to re-cut the flowers and place them water with the flower food. For more details, read “Cut Flower Care.”

Watch this short video clip to learn how to pick the freshest roses, as explained by one of our Grower Direct florists:

And don’t forget, florists are there to help you. For the closest Grower Direct location, visit GrowerDirect.com.

Related Articles:

• A Beginner’s Guide to Buying Flowers (funflowerfacts.com)
• A Guy’s Guide to Giving Flowers (growerdirect.com)
• Flower Meanings (growerdirect.com)
• Colour Meanings (growerdirect.com)
• Cut Flower Care- FAQs (growerdirect.com)
• Cut Flowers & Ethylene Gas (growerdirect.com)