Care & Handling

Garden roses are capricious and tend to vary in color. Even garden roses cut from the same bush on the same day can have different shades and tones. Given the proper water, food and care, our garden roses will bloom and perform incredibly.

Care & Handling

Quick Tips

Most garden roses are at their best 4–5 days after being placed in water.

To accelerate development use warmer temperatures. To slow it use cooler temperatures.

Remove cardboard after cutting stems: the bloom head grows and can be damaged if confined.

If garden roses arrive dehydrated, keep cardboard on for a few hours to prevent bent necks.

Important: Normally garden roses arrive well-hydrated and cardboard should be removed after cutting stems. If garden roses arrive dehydrated, keep cardboard on for a few hours while hydrating to prevent bent necks.

Step 1

Process garden roses as soon as they arrive by cutting stems 1” and removing foliage below the water line.

Step 2

Remove cardboard, leave plastic sleeve on. Place in water with flower food in a cooler overnight at as close to 32°F / 0°C as possible.

Step 3

Set at room temperature until desired openness, typically 3–5 days. Return to cooler if opening too quickly.

Step 1

Process flowers as soon as they arrive by cutting the stems 1” and removing foliage below the water line.

Step 2

Immediately after stems are cut, place in hydration solution and put in cooler.

Step 3

After two or three hours of cold hydration, remove the corrugated cardboard sleeve but leave the outer plastic sleeve for protection.

Step 4

Allow the flowers to hydrate for another 4 or 5 hours before selling.

Step 1

Process dahlias immediately upon arrival. Cut stems at a 45° angle and remove all foliage below the water line.

Step 2

Place stems in clean water with flower food. Dahlias are heavy drinkers: check water levels daily and refresh every 2 days.

Step 3

Store at 34–38°F / 1–3°C. Avoid ethylene: keep away from ripening fruit and dying flowers.

Step 4

Keep dahlias out of direct sunlight and drafts. They prefer high humidity for optimal performance.

Important: Keep tweedia away from other flowers at all times during processing: the milky sap can affect neighboring blooms.

Step 1

Trim stems at least 1” and remove any foliage below the water line.

Step 2

Place stems in room temperature water with flower food and allow to hydrate for at least 2–3 hours.

Step 3

Store in high humidity as close to 32°F / 0°C as possible before use.