Give PetalSong flowers the care that they deserve.

Handled properly, PetalSong flowers won’t disappoint you by wilting and drooping before their time. In fact, they'll amaze you by lasting longer than you thought a fresh cut flower could. Just give them the proper care and enjoy.

PetalSong retail florists are professionals who know how to condition flowers so they’ll last as long as possible. With the right treatment, the most delicate fresh cut flower might last a week. But, because they are so fresh and handled so particularly, many types of PetalSong flowers can last two weeks or longer in the vase.

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Taking the freshest flowers home

In an ideal world, we'd all take our fresh flowers to their destination immediately. But, sometimes, your flowers just have to wait a bit. Here are a few tips to help them stay fresh from shop to vase.

• Moisten stem ends. If your fresh flowers will be out of water for a few hours, ask the florist to cover ends of the stems with a wet paper towel, and enclose the stems in a water-filled plastic bag that’s secured by a rubber band. Or, ask the florist to pack the flowers in their own cool gel pack.
  
  
• Keep from excessive heat and freezing cold. Leaving flowers in very hot places (such as inside your car) is detrimental to their health and will cause damage and shorten the life of your flowers. Cool temperatures are good for flowers; freezing ones are not.

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At home

• Use clean vases. Be sure to clean your vases thoroughly between each use. Bacteria can linger in vases much longer than you might imagine – and kill your flowers.
  
  
• Use fresh lukewarm water for most flowers. Since there is less oxygen in lukewarm water, it helps prevent air bubbles in the stem that can block water uptake. For the same reason, it's also a good idea to let bubbly tap water settle before adding flowers. Warmer water is also more easily absorbed by flowers, and encourages flowers to open. Spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips are an exception – they like cold water.
  
  
• Strip all leaves off the part of the stem that will be below the water level. Leaves can decay in water, resulting in bacteria.
  
  
• Cut stems at an angle. Make a slanting cut in stems using a sharp knife or very sharp scissors or shears. Make sure you remove at least one inch (1”). This is a good general practice for most flowers
  
  
• Keep flowers away from direct sunlight, heat and drafts.
  
  
• Protect flowers from themselves (and fruit). Fruit and faded flowers emit ethylene, a gas that actually kills the flower. Keeping flowers away from fruit and removing old blooms is advised.
  
  
• Add fresh water with cut flower food regularly. As your flowers use water, top the water in vase off.
  
  
• Re-cut stems and change water every couple of days. It may be hard to find the time, but these simple steps will help flowers last as long as possible.

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Advice for florists

Studies* have shown that cooling, cleanliness and care are key to maintaining the quality, freshness and longevity of fresh flowers.

• Keep flowers cool. Most fresh flowers should be stored at between 33°and 35° F from the grower to your coolers. Cut orchids and tropical flowers such as anthuriums, proteas, ginger, orchids and bird-of-paradise are exceptions: they should be stored at 55°-65° F. Deliver flowers in climate-controlled vehicles.
  
  
• Cleanliness is freshness. Microbes on fresh cut flowers can multiply in water, plugging stems and preventing the flowers from taking up water. Clean buckets and storage containers – and cutting tools – with a brush and antimicrobial solution. Rinse your cleaned containers with a commercial solution and allow them to drain. Use fresh flower solutions that contain biocides to kill bacteria.
  
  
• Make the cut. When you receive flowers, recut stems, removing between one and two inches. Freshly cut flowers should be placed in properly prepared fresh flower food to inhibit microbial growth and acidify water. (Ideal water pH in the solution should be 3.5 to 4.0.)
  
  
• Roses don’t go with apples. Nor do any flowers for that matter. Fruits and vegetables produce ethylene, a gas that causes flowers to die, a bud to remain closed and leaves to yellow. Never store flowers with produce. Dying buds and foliage also release ethylene, so remove them regularly.
  
  
• Educate customers on proper flower care. Make sure you include a packet or two of fresh flower food with every sale. Explain why Petal Song flowers are so fresh, and why using flower food can increase vase life by 25 to 75 percent and actually help flowers open. Consider making bulk quantities of floral preservative available for regular flower customers.
  
  
• Flowers don’t go with internal combustion engines, either. When flower deliveries are coming or going, don't leave them on docks or in parking lots where engines may be running. Like fresh produce, engines emit ethylene gas which damages flowers and reduces longevity.

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*Source: Flower & Plant Care. The 21st Century Approach