A "Fresh" Bouquet

     As I go around Tyler I look in the flower coolers at various stores.  I'm not necessarily looking at the design of the bouquets, but at the freshness of the flowers in the bouquet.  Sometimes I see beautiful flowers, sometimes I see bouquets that have been there a few days and sometimes I even think "those are going to lose all their petals before they get home".  This last scenario is what gives buying flowers a bad name.  With proper care your bouquet should last quite a few days.  But if you buy it when it's next to dead, they won't last but a few hours.  The flowers and bouquets always have a perishable shelf life.  Typically this is 4 to 7 days in optimal temperatures.  In a display cooler they should be kept at 45 to 50 degrees.  This is not always easy to do with people opening the doors and the age of the cooler, it might not be able to keep cool with demand.  There are ways you can tell if the bouquet is fresh, medium, or gone.  

     1)  The water should be clear and not have any thick sediments in it or have a smell.  All vase arrangements will have things floating in the vase due to the stems of the flowers.  But, it should not look like pond water.  You can hold the flowers in the vase and pour the old water out daily.  Then immediately add new water.  Even if you put the "flower food" in the water it will still need to be changed daily.  

     2)  The stems on the flowers should be crisp.  When you look at the arrangement or the bouquet of cut stem flowers the stems should be free from slime, and the leaves on the stem should be green.  If the flowers are old the stem will be flimsy and beginning to smell and be slick and the leaves will be starting to curl and turn black.(Gross, I know!)

 

     3)  The actual bloom of the flower should be attached to the stem securely if you touch it.  It should be full of color and look more like a bud than a full blown flower.  The bloom should not be transparent.  If you can see the veins in the bloom it is old.  If the individual petals are not full of color it is old.

     Having fresh flowers in your home is always a great idea.  Just be sure that you are getting the best quality for your money.  Of course I would recommend going to your local florist.  We all sell stems of flowers or bouquets already made for you to choose from.  

This star gazer lily is just at it's peak.  It will only last 2 days or so.  The bloom is fully opened and the pollen has turned to dust on the stem.  You can pull the pollen off to keep the dust off the blooms.

And this star gazer is on it's last hurrah.  The petals  probably fell off right after this picture was taken.

This is a picture of a beautiful stem.  This has the three stages you are looking for...fully open, slightly opened  and closed.  With proper water the buds will bloom and this stem will last a week or more.

     These are just pictures of one kind of flower, but the above mentioned rules will work on any flower.  When you are choosing your bouquet, take a few minutes to look at the whole arrangement, front and back.  Make sure what you are buying is fresh and going to last you a few days.  Notice if the floral department looks like a worker has not been in the area for days.  If the area is in disarray, they are for sure not taking care of the flowers.  Most stores that provide flowers and plants do not have an employee that knows how to care for flowers or plants.   A florist has fresh arrangements to choose from in their cooler all the time.   My turnover in my cooler is quick, so my arrangements are always fresh.

     I hope this has helped some when you are about town trying to find a fresh bouquet of flowers for your home.  With a little caution and focus you can find flowers in an European hand styled bouquet or a bouquet in a container that should last quite a few days.  Once you find a store that consistently sells fresh flowers, you will have won half the battle.