Fresh flowers and foliage are only as good as the care and handling you provide. Remember, garbage in, garbage out or better yet, flowers are what they eat (or what you decide to feed them).
Fresh cut flowers may be purchased from multiple sources (Mayesh Wholesale is recommended) but if there are no Mayesh locations in your immediate area, our Floral Care & Handling ebook includes a great list of wholesalers nationwide that would love to set up an account for you. But please don’t forget about your local growers as well as the wonderful opportunities for foraging (basically, searching for wild plants and flowers) in your surrounding areas. Now, if you’re foraging on someone’s property, please make a new friend and ask first, I don’t do bail outs. Martha may have been able to arrange flowers from a jail cell, but let’s be real, it’s just not a good look.
Delivery Checklist
- Deliveries should be opened, unpacked and inspected upon receipt
- Check for accuracy (quantity and variety) and note discrepancies
- Inspect for damage (wilted materials or cold damage), evidence of insects or signs of disease on flowers or foliage
- If order is incorrect or damaged, call your supplier immediately
- Do not process damaged or diseased plants or flowers, hold in cooler for wholesaler to pick up and request a credit
Processing & Conditioning are THEE most important part of floral design. Simply put, you cannot design with flowers that are unopened, limp and dehydrated. Just as you need the proper nourishment and rest to make it through the day, so do our petaled friends. There are 4 basic steps in the Processing and Conditioning process, and following these steps can either make or break your floral designs.
It is critical to follow each of the 4 steps in sequential order to ensure prevention of decay, proper water uptake, proper nourishment and long lasting beautiful blooms. For more on Floral Care & Handling, check out our ebook where we go into more detail about proper floral care. Happy designing!
Fleurally Yours,
