Valentine’s Day Flowers that Impress!

A satisfying Valentine’s Day flower experience depends on the care and handling you provide before, during, and after the time those blooms spend in your shop – with “your shop” being the linchpin of the entire enterprise! The influence you have on your suppliers, the care that you provide your flowers, and the guidance and education you offer your customers go a LONG way toward delivering a positive and “Lasting Impression.” This is the subject of FloraLife’s latest for Florist’s Review!

Here is the pre-Valentine’s Day situation on the ground:

“Generally shipments of fresh-cut roses are received at flower shops 5 to 7 days prior Valentine’s Day, with the biggest volume being picked up or delivered on February 13th and 14th. Getting all those gorgeous roses from farms and into consumers’ hands in peak condition requires superior care and handling, especially considering the extended shipping and storage needed to meet the increased demand.”

Valentine Flowers Harvest and Transport

The care and handling given to your Valentine’s Day flowers during harvest, processing and transport to retail provide a solid foundation for floral satisfaction.  A chief weapon is Temperature Management, so encourage your suppliers to maintain temps of 34-38F (1-3C) with as little fluctuation as possible. Also, make sure they use an ethylene action inhibitor such as FLORALIFE® EthylGuard or EthylBloc™ to prevent ethylene damage.

Valentine Flowers In-Store Care & Handling

The usual list of C&H tools and techniques bear repeating. Be sure to read the original article, but the highlights include:

• Disease Prevention. Handling advice that aims to prevent physical damage such as exposure to harmful ethylene; or bends, bruises, and moisture that can lead to botrytis.
• Sanitation. Surfaces, buckets, tools… develop a schedule wherein everything is regularly cleaned and sanitized with a professional-grade product such as DCD® Cleaner.
• Hydrate and Nourish. Roses – especially dry-pack – arrive thirsty. Proper stem cutting followed by a hydrating solution. Wet pack? Check flower food levels and add more flower food if needed, properly dosed.
• Protect. Use a finishing spray such as Clear Crowning Glory® or Finishing Touch to helphold in moisture which reduce water loss.
• Customer Care. Advice for your customer on hydration, flower placement in the home, as well as enough flower food sachets to last the duration!

A Lasting Impression that Keeps on Giving

“A happy customer, especially at Valentine’s Day, will likely be a repeat customer. Sometimes Valentine’s Day is the only time during the year that someone might purchase roses and may be your only shot to make a positive impression. Be sure to send your customers home armed with not only flower food packets but also the confidence to use them. Educating your customers before they leave the store on how to care for their roses and make them last will help them have an amazing experience and bring them back to you when it’s time for them to buy roses again.”

Those are your highlights to help deliver Valentine’s Day flower success. Be sure to read the original article (page 30!), and best wishes from FloraLife for truly Lasting Impressions that will pay dividends all year long!