Fresh Flower Delivery at Home: 7-Day Care & Delivery Guide Fresh flower delivery services ensure that you receive your beautiful florals from the farm with careful selection of stems, cold storage and professional hydration. Ordering from local floral artists will ensure your stems are cut with stiff guard petals and fully hydrated. As a floral stylist I manage Sai Flower in Lodhi Colony, New Delhi. Each week I personally inspect thousands of stems. After many years creating beautiful arrangements and delivering to customers across the region I’ve seen many issues occur due to incorrect handling when transporting and receiving floral arrangements. Whether you’re sending flowers as a surprise for a birthday or simply looking to add some colour to your living space. Understanding the science behind fresh flower delivery at home will ensure you receive the best quality blooms! Below I’ll share my knowledge from working with flowers daily. How does cold chain transport help with fresh flower delivery? Fresh trim flowers are alive. Once they’ve been cut from the plant their water column is broken and their respiration levels increase. If they are not kept in a cold environment they will deplete their sugar stores very quickly. When I purchase Dutch roses, liliums and carnations I make sure they aren’t left in the open air environments. If stems are left in warmth they will begin to lose moisture from the cells in their stems. By purchasing directly from the farm they will be kept in the 2-4°C cooling environment. This helps reduce the respiration of the stems whilst keeping their colours intense. Hydration & Guard Petals, It’s important the flowers stay hydrated during transportation. Professional florists will wrap the trim the ends of the stems in eco wraps soaked in water. We also leave the guard petals on roses. These may look slightly green or ruffled but are there to protect the centre of the rose from damage during transport. Cold chain transport keeps the flowers between 2-4°C which reduces their respiration. The stems will arrive fully hydrated and will have their guard petals intact due to the insulated transport and nutrient wraps. Why should I order fresh flower delivery? Buying from roadside displays will reduce the life span of your flowers. The stems will be exposed to fumes, dust and warmth increasing the deterioration. Long lasting stems & Hydration By ordering a specific fresh flower delivery you are ensuring they’ll go from a cooled floral studio. The flowers will have been conditioned in pH balanced water. This means they won’t have any blockages in their stems due to bacteria. No stress during transport The flowers will be hand delivered in specialist floral boxes. This will keep the stems upright and secure. If you buy from retail the stems will rub against each other causing damage to the petals. Professional delivery will ensure they stay intact. Delivering to your home will protect the stems from pollutants, extreme heat and damage. The flowers will have been conditioned in a studio with clean vascular systems for maximum vase life. How do I pick the right stems for express delivery? Not all flowers are the same. At Sai Flower I only use specific stems for creating arrangements. Resilience Tier List: High Resilience: Carnations, Chrysanthemums, Orchids Medium Resilience: Roses, Asiatic Lilies, Daisies Low / Quick: Hydrangeas, Gerberas, Peonies Roses, Carnations & Orchids Roses – The base of the flower (where the stem meets the petals) should be firm. Don’t choose any that feel soft. Carnations – The buds should be tight and firm. Carnations are extremely resilient and can last up to 2 weeks! Orchids – The bottom blooms should be fully formed and firm. The top should have closed buds. ● Flower Type | Ideal Bud | Sub Stem | Average Home Vase Life | Hydration Requirements ● Roses | Marshmallow (closed outer petals) | Rigid thick base | 5-7 Days | Medium ● Carnations | 30% Colour | Solid jointed stems | 10-14 Days | Low ● Asiatic Lilies | Plump coloured buds | Heavy straight stem | 7-10 Days | Low ● Gerberas | Flat disc centres | Straight neck | 4-6 Days | High (Shallow water required) ● Orchids | Bottom 3 blooms open | Firm woody spike | 10-16 Days | Very Low ● Skim Read Summary: Choose stems that are firm at the base with partially opened buds. Carnations and Orchids will last the longest in your home. Roses should have firm calyx. How can I ensure my flowers last longer than 7 days? Follow these steps to help your flowers last longer in their vase. Trim the stems underwater, Take the flowers out of their packaging and cut 1 inch off each stem at a 45° angle. Cut under running water or in a bowl to prevent air bubbles entering the xylem. Remove bottom leaves The leaves can quickly start to rot causing bacteria build up at the end of the stems. Remove any leaves below the water level of your vase. Create flower food Make up a pack of flower food in clean room temperature water. Flower food contains: Bactericides – Prevents bacteria growing in your water. Carbohydrates (Sugar) – Feeds the stems to encourage bloom. Avoid natural ethylene, Make sure to keep your flowers away from direct sunlight, air conditioning and ripening fruit bowls. Fruits that are ripening give off a gas called ethylene. This is an invisible hormone that will cause your petals to age quickly. Trim the stems at a 45° angle underwater. Remove any leaves under water. Add clear flower food. Keep your flowers away from fruit bowls emitting ethylene. How does Sai Flower rate Florists? Florist Rating: [ ★★★★★ ] Farm to delivery with cold chain & hydration wraps. [ ★★★★☆ ] Normal transport with boxed protection. [ ★★★☆☆ ] Open air delivery (flowers may wilt). [ ★★☆☆☆ ] Unboxed delivery. [ ★☆☆☆☆ ] Unconditioned delivery from street. My rating: ● Cold Chain: 4.8/5.0 Essential to prevent stems from collapsing early in warm climates. ● Vase Ready: 4.7/5.0 Protected with hydrating wraps and strong boxes. ● Hydration Wraps: 4.9/5.0 We use moisture holding gel and eco wraps to ensure the stems are constantly taking in moisture during long deliveries. ● Overall: 4.8/5.0 Ordering cut to order flowers from local studios always performs better than generic warehouses. Top rated delivery services will have temperature controlled transport, well designed boxes and hydrated stems. F.A.Q Why are my flowers wilting quickly? If the flowers are wilting quickly it’s because there is a build up of bacteria at the bottom of the stems. In my studio I often see this issue when people put the stems directly into tap water and don’t remove the leaves from the bottom. To help this issue cut 1 inch off the stems at a 45° angle and use clean conditioned water with flower food. Can I order same day delivery? Yes! Just order before the trim off time (usually 6pm for local studios). At Sai Flower we only use fresh morning deliveries so your flowers will be fully hydrated and freshly prepared. How do I stop my roses from wilting? Hydrate your roses by putting them in cool water with flower food for 2 hours. The roses will wilt because there are air pockets trapped in the dry stems. Cutting the stems underwater will break the airlock and allow the petals to return to normal pressure. What is the difference between local florists and order routing sites? Local florists will create and deliver your arrangement. Ensuring they are cut to order, handled correctly and you have full responsibility. Order routing sites are sites that take a percentage of your order and send it to third party shops. This can cause inconsistencies and reduce the value of the flowers. Sai Flower is an established floral design studio based in New Delhi. We specialise in creating hand tied bouquets from the farm, event floral design and fast delivery across the region. We’re based at Shop No 1 Sai Mandir, Lodhi Rd Gokalpuri, Institutional Area, Lodhi Colony, New Delhi, Delhi 110003. For any queries regarding orders or bespoke floral designs please contact us directly on 088020 04527.