How do I care for my fresh roses?
The first step in caring for your roses is called "conditioning". This process is designed to fully hydrate the roses, perk them up and get them ready for arranging. You should condition the roses in your fully stocked workspace within 8 hours of delivery.
We recommend that you some enlist friends and family to help with this process. Not only will it make the work move much faster, it is also fun to socialize as all the lovely flowers emerge from the box looking and smelling wonderful.
Rinse out several of your clean buckets and fill them halfway with warm water.
Using your utility scissors, snip the straps that hold the flowers in the box. Remove the cellophane from the first bunch and snip the rubber bands that secure the bottoms of the stems. Remove the corrugated paper that is wrapped around the blooms by gently unrolling it.
Remove excess foliage with your utility scissors. If you are creating an arrangement like the Classic Clutch Bouquet, remove all the foliage now; for other types arrangements, leave on the top 2-4 sets of leaves.
Tip: Don't let any of the foliage fall into water. Foliage exposed to water will begin to decay and introduce bacteria that will shorten the life of your flowers.
Some varieties of roses have more thorns than others. If you clip the tips off the thorns now, it will make the flowers easier to arrange later.
Remove any damaged petals. You may notice that the outermost petals of the roses, called guard petals, may be a bit bruised and/or broken. This is completely normal, so you just need to gently pluck off any of the outer damaged petals with your fingers and discard them.
Now, trim the stems by placing the stem of each rose under water (you can use an extra bucket) and using sharp utility scissors, cut the stem at a 45 degree angle. Place the first rose in one of your prepared buckets. Keep on going until all your flowers are done.
All the leaves and stems and packing material can make a little bit of a mess so be sure to leave 20-30 minutes to clean up.
Next, leave your roses undisturbed in their buckets for 2-12 hours to hydrate. Remember to keep your workspace conditions ideal, maintain a consistent water level, and resist the temptation to handle the roses until you are ready to create your arrangements.
Remember, in spite of the fact that roses appear very delicate, they are actually quite hardy. If you have followed our directions for conditioning, you need not worry about them, as they will be fresh when you are ready to use them.
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