How do I preserve roses when they are delivered before I give them to the person?

I am ordering flowers and they will come to my home during the day when no one is home (they will leave them at the door). Is it okay to leave them there in the box outside for a few hours until I can pick them up? Sending them somewhere else is not an option.





Once I get them I will give them to the person later that night. Can I just throw them in the fridge while still in the box until then?

How do I preserve roses when they are delivered before I give them to the person?
Leaving them outside depends on the outside temps. If higher than 50 they could begin to wilt if not in any water. Certainly they should not be left out in direct sun or a hot space.Cold temps in the fridge will keep the blooms from opening before presentation. Upon your arrival home cut each stem a half inch off under water to prevent air bubbles from getting inside the stem and block the intake of water. Set the roses in a clean vase of water and allow them time to drink up water to freshen up. Then you may repack and remove them for transport and repeat the above process daily to allow for the longest life of the cut roses.
Reply:Yes. Just put them in your refrigerator. The same way that they keep the flowers in those big coolers at the florists and in grocery stores, etc. You may want to call the florist that is going to deliver them and let them know to deliver as close to when you will be home as possible, and to make sure that the flowers have water caps on the stems. If it is warm outside and they are left for long, you run the risk of them wilting. You may just want to skip the ordering and stop at a florist on your way home from work instead!
Reply:Where do you live? Is it hot? Cold? Is the area covered? or protected from the elements? Do you have a neighbor that can put them in the fridge or house , until you get home?











There are two stages to preserving roses.





The first stage calls for using distilled or soft water because it contains very little salts. Both sources of water will adjust to the proper pH level in the least amount of time. Use only a half-pint (8 ounces) of water for this initial solution. Use your electronic soil pH tester to check water pH. Ideal water temperature is around 100 F. Having obtained a pH reading of the water, start adding small amounts of concentrated lemon juice to lower the pH to 3. When the pH registers 3, stop adding lemon juice.





Roses are best processed in cool air temperatures, generally between 32 and 35 degrees. The refrigerator is perfect for this. Transfer cut roses from the plain-water container (which you used outdoors when you cut the roses) to the solution containing the pH of 3. Place this container in the refrigerator. Stemmed roses should stay in the solution for an hour or more until leaves and rose petals become crisp and turgid. Once roses look fresh, remove them from the fridge and transfer them to the second preservative stage. You may think it’s complex, but it isn’t.





Once roses have been enriched with the acid water, they should be immersed in a preservative, commercial or homemade. Nurseries generally carry several commercial preservatives, including Flower Life, Floralife, Oasis, PetalGard and others. You can make your own by adding clear Karo syrup to water. Here, the pH should be increased to 3.5. Water temperature should be between 105 and 110 degree F. Keep roses away from strong sunlight. Change the solution every three days. Roses could last 7-10 days in the home.





Among the cut flowers profiled in Sacalis’ book are anemone, astilbe, cattleya orchids, dahlia, delphinium, dianthus, freesia, gladiola, iris, lilac, narcissus, peony, and tulips. Process these cut flowers as with roses, but without refrigeration.





When you buy cut flowers at the supermarket, set them on the floor of the car so they are shaded from sunlight. On arriving home, cut the stems and place the flowers temporarily in a bucket of hot water. For displaying in the home, use a decorative vase, add a pint of hot water, then one or two teaspoons of clear Karo syrup. Place stemmed flowers in the solution, away from direct sunlight. When you retire at night, move the vase to the floor of a cool room. The next morning, retrieve the vase and display it appropriately in the home.