Equipment you need to condition your flowers
Ensuring you have the right tools and equipment before your flowers arrive is a must. However, unless this is the beginning of a flourishing floristry career, you only need to invest in the basics. There is a variety of different options, but it’s important to know you don’t have to buy the very best in order to condition your flowers correctly.
Buckets and Vases
You’ll need to ensure you have buckets or vases for when your flowers arrive. Ensuring you have lots of options, different sizes with different widths and heights. Not having enough will result in overcrowded flowers, when they need space to breath and open. Ensuring you have the right height will mean your stems are supported. If the vase or bucket is too low, you risk your flower breaking at this crucial conditioning stage. The conditioning process is their time to drink and revive.
They’ve spent some time out of water and need to rehydrate, in the right position. Large vases or even plastic waste bins will also work, the main this is ensuring your flowers are supported and have room to breath.
Whatever you do, do not leave your flowers in the sink or bath.
2. Scissors and Secateurs
Ensuring you have enough scissors for your floral team is important. Whilst you can certainly invest in professional floristry scissors, buying entry level will do you just fine. Getting yourself a pair of secateurs will also be handy when you have slightly woodier stems or foliage. Garden secateurs work well for this!
We’ve provided a few options.
Kitchen scissors won’t do, your scissors need to create a sharp and even cut. If your stems are crushed it can affect how your flowers absorb water and ultimately damage your flowers.
3. Foliage Removers
When your flowers arrive, they’ll come with all of their leaves and thorns on. When you buy flowers from a local florist shop, or even supermarket, you’ll notice this stage has already been done.
When you follow our conditioning guides, you’ll see that you need to remove the leaves from the flowers. There are a couple of things which you will need to do this step.
Firstly, buying a couple of thorn strippers is a must.
Secondly, some protective gardening gloves is recommended but not essential. There will be thorns and the odd scratchy stem, so these are good if you want to protect your hands.
Brides we’d recommend you buy gloves if you get your manicure done before your flowers arrive!
Other equipment/materials you’ll need:
Bleach (or washing-up liquid) and a dish brush to clean your buckets and vessels.
Bin bags for non-recyclable packaging. We like these garden bags for green waste.
Dustpan and brush and a broom.
Floor protection if required. Even if you break up some bin bags, this works well just to ensure no green stems get crushed into your carpets! We do recommend making your flowers somewhere with a wipeable floor, or even outside.
We’ve put together a tick list to keep you organised. Download and print this off ahead of your wedding.