Roses: Care of Roses - Bulk Packaging

• September 20, 2022
• Admin

Care of Bulk Roses (in original farm packaging)

Hey there! Before we dig into the step by step details, we have a very important FSA (that’s floral service announcement)!

If you only read one thing before enjoying your blooms, this should be it:

DO NOT REMOVE THE CORRUGATED WRAP ON YOUR FLOWERS! At least not yet!

If you’re lucky enough to buy your roses in bulk, and if those roses are still wrapped in the original packaging from the farm, for best results, leave the wrap on your roses until you have hydrated your roses for at least 2 hours.

The First Step

Find the largest vessel you can and fill it to about 6 inches with clean, room temperature water.  The vessel is temporary and only for this first step of care.  It can be a large soup pot, a large bucket, even the kitchen sink.  (You need enough water to submerge the bottom portion of the stems of your roses.) Now find a sharp pair of scissors, kitchen shears, or if you’re a total pro, pruning shears from your garden. Use them to trim the stems of your roses by at least half an inch at an angle. Why an angle? It helps to maximize the surface area through which the stem will hydrate.  Once you’ve trimmed all the stems, place the entire bundle in the water you’ve got ready.  Next, walk away! Set a timer for two hours to let your blooms get a big drink of water. This step will allow the stems to settle and acclimate before they end up in your vase.  Reminder! DO NOT UNWRAP YOUR ROSES (just yet!). 

Grooming Details

Once the two hours are up, you can unwrap and discard any wrapping. Hooray!

Guard Petals (Mother Nature’s Protection)  Once unwrapped, you might notice some roses in your bouquet with discolored or wrinkled outer petals. Don’t panic! These are called guard petals and you should think of them as nature’s way of protecting the bloom from any bumps and bruises along it’s journey. Most importantly, the guard petals are no indication of the vitality or freshness of the flower beneath - whew!

Go ahead and gently pick them off! Simply grab the base of the petal firmly and carefully pull up.  Take care to not touch the other petals on the bloom as this may lead to bruising on the rest of the bloom. 

Vase Preparation

Find a real vase (or vases!) and fill it ¾ of the way with clean, room temperature tap water.

To prepare your roses for the vase(s), simply remove any foliage that will fall below the vase waterline, drop your stems into the vessel(s) of your choice, and you’re done!

Routine Maintenance

Change the water daily (or as often as you remember) so your roses are always getting a fresh drink.  We humans don’t like to drink dirty water, roses don’t either!  Trimming the stems at the same time will also ensure they’re hydrating efficiently!  As our skin heals after a cut, so do flower stems.  Without a regular fresh cut of the stem, the bloom may not be able to drink efficiently. Water is life!

Help your blooms live their best life by keeping them out of the direct sun and any extra toasty areas in your home. We recommend placing your vase at least three feet away from any sunny window and away from any obvious heat sources (like a radiator). Bacteria buildup is natural (and unavoidable) as the stems age.

Pro tip: Some blooms may die off sooner than others. Removing any dying flowers will keep its vase mates looking fresher longer!