Can we talk about how I was ruining my bouquets with bad foliage prep?

I used to strip leaves off stems by pulling them downward, thinking it was faster, until a customer pointed out the torn bark and microscopic damage on a $75 arrangement last Valentine's Day. A veteran florist at a workshop in Portland showed me she uses a sharp knife to clean stems, and I realized I'd been shortening the vase life of my flowers for 3 years by tearing instead of cutting. Anyone else do this without noticing for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer_chen62mo agoProlific Poster

My buddy runs a small flower shop and he told me a story about a wedding order he messed up real bad... He used to strip the lower leaves off roses by hand too, just yanking them off without thinking. One time the bride's mom complained that the stems looked chewed up and some petals dropped off before the ceremony even started. He felt terrible and spent weeks watching YouTube videos from old school florists who swear by sharp knives and pruners. Now he's super careful about every stem, but he still gets embarrassed thinking about it.

andrew_miller901mo ago

Jumping off what you said about bacteria getting in, that's a real problem. I had a friend who worked in a flower wholesale place and he told me that even a tiny tear on a rose stem is like an open wound for bacteria, and once that bacteria gets in, the whole stem clogs up and the flower can't drink water. That's why those old school florists are so particular about using really sharp tools, because a clean cut lets the stem seal up properly and keeps the flower hydrated way longer. It's wild how something that seems so simple like pulling off a leaf can have that big of an impact on a whole arrangement.

john_singh2mo agoTop Commenter

That part about the stems looking chewed up is exactly what I've seen happen too. My aunt runs a small shop and she used to just snap off leaves with her fingers until a customer pointed out how bruised the stems were. Turns out tearing leaves off roses damages those tiny pores in the stems and lets bacteria in. Now she uses those little floral snips and makes clean cuts right at the base of each leaf. She says it takes maybe five extra seconds per stem but the flowers last way longer in the vase. It's one of those little things that really makes a difference in the final look.

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