Flower Subscriptions and Making Them Last

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Flower Subscriptions and Making Them Last

What you are paying for, conditioning stems, and getting a second week out of them

A flower subscription delivers something perishable on a schedule, and how long each delivery lasts depends far more on what you do in the first twenty minutes than on the flowers themselves.

Why subscriptions arrive in bud

Stems are cut and shipped closed so they open in your house rather than in transit. That is why a box can look unpromising on arrival and look best on day three or four.

Arranging them yourself is part of the product. If you want something ready to put down, a florist delivery suits better.

Conditioning on arrival

Re-cut every stem at an angle with a sharp knife or scissors, removing two or three centimetres. A blunt cut crushes the stem and a straight cut sits flat on the vase base.

Strip every leaf that would sit below the waterline, since leaves in water rot quickly and are the main cause of a vase smelling by day three.

Use the flower food supplied — it contains sugar, an acidifier and a biocide, and it measurably extends vase life.

The water

Change it every two days and rinse the vase properly each time. Topping up a cloudy vase achieves very little.

Where to put them

Away from direct sun, radiators and draughts, and away from the fruit bowl. Ripening fruit releases ethylene, which makes flowers age fast.

Getting a second week

As stems fade, remove them, re-cut the survivors shorter and move to a smaller vase. A large arrangement becomes two or three small ones across a house.

Arranging without trying too hard

Cut stems to varying heights, put the largest flowers in first to build a shape, then fill with foliage. An odd number of focal stems looks more natural than an even one.

A vase roughly half the height of the arrangement gives the stems something to lean on.

Skipping deliveries

Check how far ahead you must skip a box, since most services have a cut-off several days before dispatch. Flowers arriving while you are away is the usual complaint.

Which flowers last

Chrysanthemums, carnations, alstroemeria and lilies last well over a fortnight. Tulips, ranunculus and anemones are shorter lived and continue growing in the vase, so they will need re-trimming and rearranging after a few days.

Mixing long-lasting stems with a few short-lived ones gives an arrangement you can edit rather than replace.

Safety

Lilies are seriously toxic to cats, including the pollen. Remove them from any delivery if you have one, and keep arrangements away from pets and small children.

Check how easily you can skip a delivery when away.

WHERE TO BUY

Ready to shop Freddie's Flowers? Use the link below to visit the official store.

→ Shop Freddie's Flowers — official site

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