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How Long Do Flowers Last Once Delivered?

Wednesday, December 11th

How Long Do Flowers Last Once Delivered?

This is a direct question with no direct answer, no matter how it is approached. It simply depends.

Vase life is the term that applies to the time a cut flower appears to be alive. It is always measured in days. All cut flowers are dying, so the question is, how fast or slow is the process. As a consumer, that is the person to whom the cut flowers have been delivered, there are some ways you can influence, extend or shorten, vase life and there are other things which happened to your flowers before delivery and therefore were beyond your control.

Most cut flowers begin to wilt within three to five days of delivery. Some flowers have a shorter vase life, some as long as 14 days. This is one factor over which you have no control. Nature is in charge of that. Red roses have a longer vase life than white roses, neither long. On the other hand, the person who had sent you flowers could have requested a bouquet made up of only flowers with a long vase life.

For instance, freesia or carnations, both boast of an almost two week long vase life,

Usually, cut flowers arrive at the door with a packet of preservative included. Use it as directed. But changing the water daily, or every other day, will also extend the vase life of cut flowers and that means the preservative has been thrown out with the vase water. Make your own and add it to the fresh vase water each time. A good, homemade cut flower preservative is: one teaspoon sugar, one teaspoon bleach and two tablespoons of lemon or lime juice, all mixed in warm water.

If possible, check to make sure the stems have been cut on a slant and are not resting flat against the bottom of the vase making it harder to draw water up the flower stem. If you recut the stems, make sure it is a clean, not crushing, cut.

Don't set your cut flowers in a sunny window, no matter how good they look when you first put them there. Direct sun has adverse effect on vase life. Keep them in a cooler rather than warmer spot in the room.

Chances are, your home has an odorless, colorless gas wafting around that is a bona fide vase life shortener. It is estimated 30 percent of cut flowers suffer a premature demise from this natural assassin of cut flowers. You've seen its effects when the blooms lose their deep colors, when the petals droop, or when the buds open irregularly or not at all. The culprit? Fruits and vegetables not in residing inside the refrigerator. Ethylene gas is a plant hormone given off by ripening fruits and vegetables, or any aging plant matter. It hastens ripening, aging and spoilage. Some flowers are very sensitive to it, others not so much, and some are treated to resist its effects by the growers, carnations being such a flower.

So, no matter how nice fruits and flowers visually compliment each other, have them keep their distance. It's also a good idea to remove dying flowers from the floral arrangement as they are emitting ethylene gas as well and causing their neighbors in vase to wilt faster.

The Best Flower Delivery Services Compare Flower Delivery Services Compare Flower Delivery Service Reviews What are the best Flower Delivery Services Best Flower Delivery Service Reviews

Flower Delivery Service FAQ

Trust the science: research has shown that, even now, people who get flowers feel happier immediately, experience a positive mood boost that lasts for several days, and they feel a stronger connection with the person who gave them. That's definitely not boring!
The most obvious holiday is Valentine's Day: over 220 million roses are grown for that day alone! The next most popular occasions are Mother's Day, Christmas and Hanukkah. Of course, there's no way for the floral industry to track "apology bouquets”; those can happen 365 days a year!
You may want to see if your delivery comes with a vase; if not, you might be able to include one for an additional fee. Many services offering flower delivery will give you options during the checkout process, asking if you'd like to add a stuffed animal, balloon, chocolates or other extras to your purchase.
You can certainly find flowers that match your budget, whether that's $25 or $250. You'll spend more for a premium bouquet, especially if it has flower varieties that are out of season or exotic. Roses, carnations, gerbera and some types of lilies are grown year-round, and that can help you keep costs down if you're watching your wallet.
Yes, there's likely going to be a delivery fee tacked on to your flower delivery. The faster you want the flowers to arrive, the more you can expect to spend. There's almost always a surcharge if you're having the flowers arrive on a weekend, too.
If you choose a flower delivery provider that uses a nationwide network of partner florists to fulfill orders, you should be able to get same-day delivery. Otherwise, expect your order to take a few days to be packaged and shipped.
Your local flower shop might not have access to the widest possible variety of blooms and arrangements. Shopping for your flower delivery online gives you the best available selection, especially if you're having them sent somewhere far from home.
That depends on the flower delivery service you choose. Most companies want you (and your recipient) to be absolutely delighted with the arrangement or bouquet they receive, and the best florists go to great lengths to make it right if the blooms arrive wilted, damaged or anything other than gorgeous. You'll want to check out the reputation of the florist before you commit to an order; lots of positive customer reviews and a strong rating from the Better Business Bureau are two indications that you'll be very happy with your flower delivery service.

Compare Flower Delivery Services

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best-flower-delivery-services
  • 1 800 Florals
  • Bouqs
  • The Flower Factory
  • Flowers Fast
  • Teleflora
  • Fifty Flowers
  • 1-800-Flowers
  • Harry & David
  • FTD
  • ProFlowers
  • Florists
  • From You Flowers
  • Send Flowers
1 800 Florals vs Bouqs 1 800 Florals vs The Flower Factory 1 800 Florals vs Flowers Fast 1 800 Florals vs Teleflora 1 800 Florals vs Fifty Flowers 1 800 Florals vs 1-800-Flowers 1 800 Florals vs Harry & David 1 800 Florals vs FTD 1 800 Florals vs ProFlowers 1 800 Florals vs Florists 1 800 Florals vs From You Flowers 1 800 Florals vs Send Flowers Bouqs vs The Flower Factory Bouqs vs Flowers Fast Bouqs vs Teleflora Bouqs vs Fifty Flowers Bouqs vs 1-800-Flowers Bouqs vs Harry & David Bouqs vs FTD Bouqs vs ProFlowers Bouqs vs Florists Bouqs vs From You Flowers Bouqs vs Send Flowers The Flower Factory vs Flowers Fast The Flower Factory vs Teleflora The Flower Factory vs Fifty Flowers The Flower Factory vs 1-800-Flowers The Flower Factory vs Harry & David The Flower Factory vs FTD The Flower Factory vs ProFlowers The Flower Factory vs Florists The Flower Factory vs From You Flowers The Flower Factory vs Send Flowers Flowers Fast vs Teleflora Flowers Fast vs Fifty Flowers Flowers Fast vs 1-800-Flowers Flowers Fast vs Harry & David Flowers Fast vs FTD Flowers Fast vs ProFlowers Flowers Fast vs Florists Flowers Fast vs From You Flowers Flowers Fast vs Send Flowers Teleflora vs Fifty Flowers Teleflora vs 1-800-Flowers Teleflora vs Harry & David Teleflora vs FTD Teleflora vs ProFlowers Teleflora vs Florists Teleflora vs From You Flowers Teleflora vs Send Flowers Fifty Flowers vs 1-800-Flowers Fifty Flowers vs Harry & David Fifty Flowers vs FTD Fifty Flowers vs ProFlowers Fifty Flowers vs Florists Fifty Flowers vs From You Flowers Fifty Flowers vs Send Flowers 1-800-Flowers vs Harry & David 1-800-Flowers vs FTD 1-800-Flowers vs ProFlowers 1-800-Flowers vs Florists 1-800-Flowers vs From You Flowers 1-800-Flowers vs Send Flowers Harry & David vs FTD Harry & David vs ProFlowers Harry & David vs Florists Harry & David vs From You Flowers Harry & David vs Send Flowers FTD vs ProFlowers FTD vs Florists FTD vs From You Flowers FTD vs Send Flowers ProFlowers vs Florists ProFlowers vs From You Flowers ProFlowers vs Send Flowers Florists vs From You Flowers Florists vs Send Flowers From You Flowers vs Send Flowers
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