Melbourne Florists chief florist Francine Rizza says that it is important to purchase your fresh flowers from a florist who stores their flowers within their store and not on the street. Fresh flowers will last a lot longer when not exposed to the elements, as flowers are sensitive to ethylene gases produced by passing traffic. Most good florists purchase only premium quality flowers. You will not find this quality by purchasing cheap flowers from service stations, supermarkets or fruit shops. It is false economy to purchase flowers from such suppliers. At Melbourne Florist our flowers are purchased on demand from our high quality supplier, "Tesselaar Flowers", specialist wholesale florist Melbourne. You can be assured of our flower quality. With proper care fresh flowers should attain a vase life of 10-14 days, depending upon the cultivar. Lillium, chrysanthemum, gerbera and Australian native flowers are among the longest lasting flowers and can last in excess of three weeks. Firstly choose your flowers skillfully. Avoid buying flowers with yellowing or transparent leave. Examine stems looking for small brown blotches. These are signs that the flowers may be affected by botrytis. Botrytis blight or gray mold is a fungus disease that can affect a wide variety of flowers and plants. Care and Handling. Remove all packaging materials such as cellophane. Trim stems under water. Strip leaves from lower stems, taking care no foliage will clutter the vase water. Place flowers in a clean container containing a properly prepared solution of fresh flower food. Melbourne Florist advises that you clean your vases using hydrogen peroxide. Domestic cleaner, "white King" is a good choice. Do not overcrowd your vase as flowers need breathing space to survive just as you do! Avoid using water with high fluoride levels, if possible, flowers such as alstroemeria which are susceptible to fluoride damage. By repeating this process of flower care every 2-3 days you can greatly extend the life of your cut flower arrangement. Flowers arranged by the florist in florists foam known as oasis floral foam should by kept topped with fresh water containing a good quality flower food such as "CHRYSAL" Which is supplied by reputable florists. Do not place your fresh flowers in "hot spots" such as near windows or on top of heaters as the life of your flowers will be severely effected. It is important you do not use flower food for any bulb flowers such as daffodils, hyacinths and tulips as the flower food will cause the stems to grow too much and become weak. Bulb flowers are unique as their food is stored in their bulb
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