Ever notice how much better you feel when you are eating a healthy, well-balanced diet? You've probably also noticed that when you aren't being as mindful of your diet, your body begins to respond in different ways letting you know something isn't working well. Flowers are no different. Give them the right nourishment and they stay fresh, vibrant, and looking fabulous. Flower food is an essential part of a flower's wellbeing. Simply put, it feeds fresh-cut flowers with the nutrients they need but are no longer getting since they were harvested. Specially formulated to give flowers exactly what they need, with the right treatment flowers can pleasantly surprise you with how long they can last after harvest.

Growers are the first link in the chain; when harvesting they take great care to hydrate stems before packing for their journey to the next stop. When arriving at flower wholesalers or bouquet operation, the same process is repeated, and flower food is added. Flowers are conditioned so when they arrive at your local retailers, they are fully nourished and ready to give you an amazing flower experience! Last but certainly not least in this chain is you. How you care for your flowers once you get them home makes a world of difference in how long you will enjoy them. The health of your flowers is now in your hands! How you care for your flowers once you get the home will be key in the length of their vase life.

Too much of anything isn't good for you, right? If we spend too long in the sun, we can get a sunburn and dehydrated. Too long in low temps and we can freeze. Flowers are much the same with the exception they are unable to change their conditions as we can. Too cold and flowers can have frost damage which is irreversible. Too hot and it leads to stress and accelerated development which will result in a shorter shelf life. Placing flowers in drafts will dehydrate them. Placing them in direct sunlight can burn them. Given the right conditions though, such as good hydration, flower food for proper nourishment and of course the right environment and temperatures, flowers will most likely surprise you with how long they can last after harvest.

Growers are always the first link in the chain, conditioning flowers as well as protecting them as much as possible from harsh or extreme temperature fluctuations before shipping from the farm. The next stop at the wholesaler or bouquet operation on their journey to you is no different. Maintaining the cold chain, as it's known, is a key factor in the longevity of cut flowers. Arriving at your local retailer, the cold chain is maintained as flowers are conditioned and your retailer will take great care to avoid extreme heat, cold, or drafts when they are ready to put flowers on display. The last link in the chain is you! Once you get your beautiful flowers home and you've followed our recommended care steps, be sure to avoid placing your floral creation in extreme heat, cold, drafts, or direct sunlight to keep flowers fresh, vibrant, and healthy for the longest possible!

Like you, a flower is a living thing; “breathing”, feeding, hydrating is all in a day’s life of a cut flower. The first step to staying happy, healthy, and vibrant is keeping flowers in a clean environment so that the elements do not prevent them from hydrating and nourishing properly. How can you help? Keep the flowers’ environment, vase and cutting tools clean. Research shows that uncleaned containers and tools can reduce the vase life of a fresh-cut flower by up to 20%!

Use flower food properly mixed with the right amount of fresh water to create what is called the flower food solution. It has ingredients that not only feed flowers, but also keep the vase solution clean. Follow packaging instructions for proper dosing information.

Flowers need a clean vase, fresh water, and nourishment from flower food to stay fresh and vibrant. Though they may seem delicate, under the right conditions fresh cut flowers will amaze you with how long they can last after harvest.

Just like us, flowers need hydration and nourishment in order to thrive. Without them flowers will not have the energy to reach their full vase life potential and expire earlier than they should. Water and flower food are essential parts of a flower's wellbeing. Flower food properly dosed and mixed with water is specially formulated to give flowers the nutrients that they need but are no longer getting since they were harvested. The right treatment makes all the difference in how long flowers can last after harvest.

Growers are always the first step in a flower's journey to fresh, taking great care when harvesting to hydrate stems before preparing for transport. When they arrive at the wholesaler or bouquet operation, flowers are conditioned once again before departing to your local retailer. At the retail level, flowers are conditioned as they are incorporated into designs or put on display for sale ready for you to take home for an amazing flower experience. Now it's up to you to satisfy those flower cravings! How you care for your flowers once you get them home makes all the difference in how long you'll enjoy them.

You might be wondering why should you use flower food? Flower food is a vital part of a flower's wellbeing after harvest. Simply put, it feeds fresh-cut flowers with the nutrients they need but can no longer receive since being harvested. When a flower is growing in the field, the leaves are acting as “sugar factories”, converting light energy from the sun, water from the soil, and CO2 (Carbon dioxide) from the air into sugars via the process of photosynthesis. These sugars provide the necessary energy for the flower to open and develop normally. Once the flower is cut from the mother plant and processed, the leaves are no longer efficiently producing sugars. Eventually the cut flower will need a flower food to supplement the sugars it can no longer produce. Given the right treatment, flowers can pleasantly surprise you with how long they can last after harvest.

Growers lay the foundation for good fresh cut flower care when harvesting by hydrating stems before prepping and packing them for transport from the farms. Once flowers arrive to wholesalers or bouquet operators, the hydration process repeats but this time with flower food. Here flowers are conditioned after the first leg of their trip so when they arrive to the local retailer they are as fresh and vibrant as when they were harvested. Retailers will then process flowers as needed before designing or displaying to be sure you have a fantastic flower experience. The final, (and most important) link in the chain-is you! How you continue to feed and hydrate your flowers after you get them home will make a huge difference in how long you will enjoy them.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say too much or too little of anything, even if it's something your body needs, may not end up being good for you. Flowers and people are a lot alike in this respect, especially when it comes to nourishment. Giving flowers flower food so they are fed and nourished is one of the most important things you need to do to keep flowers fresh and vibrant. Too little won't do the job and too much can actually have a negative effect. The best solution? Dose them right! Following the instructions on the back of your flower food packet for the right water to flower food ratio and your flowers can astonish you by lasting much longer than you might expect after harvest.

Ever notice how quickly standing water turns "scummy" when plant material is in water? In just a day or so water with leaves submerged will quickly begin to grow bacteria causing the water to become contaminated. You certainly wouldn't drink this water. Just like people, flowers need fresh water in order to stay healthy. Without it, their condition deteriorates quickly. One of the ways you can keep the water fresh is by removing any foliage that may fall below the water level. Keeping leaves above water level will help flowers stay hydrated and removing below will help water not to develop bacteria. Given the proper conditions, hydration, and nourishment flowers can last well beyond what you might expect after harvest.

Growers are actually the first link in the chain. When harvesting flowers, they clean stems depending on the crop as appropriate to hydrate stems before packing for the journey from the farms. When flowers arrive to their next stop at a bouquet operation or wholesaler, generally more leaves are removed as flowers are conditioned and prepared for delivery to local retailers. At your local retailer, leaves will be removed as flowers are used in designs or displayed. The most important link in the chain? You! Removing leaves that may be below the water level and following our simple but important care and handling tips can make all the difference in how long you will enjoy your flowers. Maximize your joy!