24
May
2019
1
Managing flowers for outdoor wedding and events

Managing Flowers For Outdoor Wedding And Events

Making sure your flowers perform and have optimum freshness for an outdoor event is tricky but not impossible.

Time management from market to the day of an outdoor event is critical to the success of your floral installations.

Here is a guide for preparing flowers for an outdoor event.

Flower selection

Fresh flower selection is imperative. Certain flowers like hydrangeas do not perform well on a hot day and yet other native flowers might be more hardy. In most circumstances, the flower choice will be dictated by the season and the look and feel you are to achieve. If you are doing work for a wedding or corporate event, try your best to make your customer understand your difficulties around flower selection. At the end of the day, the customer wants what they want, so preparation and timing will be paramount. Working close with your flower supplier will also ensure you get the right flowers for the day.

Flower storage

Managing flowers for outdoor wedding and events - flower storage

Storing your flowers before a big event needs care. Keep the traditional rules of storing fresh flowers by keeping them in a cool room with a stable temperature usually around 3 or 4 degrees Celsius. Keep flower buckets spaced well and open packs of tightly bunched flowers as this will avoid moisture forming which often leads to mould and botrytis. Using a fan to improve airflow is an option making sure the air does not directly hit your flowers.

Flower care and hydration

Keep flowers hydrated and feeding them with professional flower food is essential. Flower food and hydrating solutions will make the flowers perform to their best by promoting water uptake and healthy blooms. Professional flower care solutions are often better than techniques where flowers may be left outside of cool rooms or using hot water to promote flower blooming. So proper flower care is going to be very important for the timing of blooming flowers.

Managing flowers for outdoor wedding and events - flower food
Some of the flower care products and hydrating solutions we carry at Koch & Co.

Proper flower care will always start with your flower wholesaler. A good wholesaler will treat their flowers to avoid the impact of ethylene on your flowers. Your wholesaler should be treating your flowers for ethylene as this and poor temperature management can lead to either flowers opening too soon or not opening at all. Also, you may end having petals dropping and bent flower necks.

Although fillers and greenery are hardy, they also need similar care to your blooming flowers so they do not wilt. Hydration sprays are also a consideration of the day of the event to freshen up flowers and foliage just at the right time.

Transport

Transport is another tricky obstacle. Not only are your flowers delicate, they are also bulky. The main point here to ensure flowers are kept hydrated during transport and kept away from heat and especially away from direct sunlight.

Managing flowers for outdoor wedding and events - flower delivery

On the important day, weather can be the spanner in the works. Make sure you do your best to protect your flowers from the sun, wind, heat and cold. This may adversely impact your flowers. Hydration may be more difficult than usual. So you may want to use hydration spray to offer last minute moister burst for your flowers.

All the efforts will be well worth it when you “wow” the crowds with your creativity and have them coming back for more.

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2 Responses

  1. Rachel

    Hi,
    How do you care for and protect artificial flowers from UV and dust when placed outdoors? Do you have a spray that can do so?
    Thanks

    1. Koch

      Hi Rachel,
      We do stock a spray by Design Master called Silk Flower Cleaner which has been specifically developed to remove dust and small particles from silk flowers and plants. It is a waterless solution that is easy to apply. If your plant is extremely dirty, we would recommend to lightly remove the excess dust with a cloth or a feather duster before application.
      We hope this helps!

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