Flower Care

A common question received at Fastflowers.com.au is "How do we keep your lovely flowers alive for as long as possible?”. With a little TLC you can extend the life of your flowers by a number of days.

Bouquets:

1) Cut an inch off the stems of the flowers with sharp scissors.
2) Remove any bruised or discoloured leaves and petals.
3) Place in a vase with fresh water.
4) Keep the flowers in a cool spot.
5) Add flower food to water.
6) Re-cut stems and change water 2-3 days later.

Boxes/Flower Baskets/ Floral Arrangements:

1) Keep in a cool spot.
2) Top up water to floral foam every day.

Obviously flowers are living things and their lifespan varies however with a little care it is easy to extend a cut flower's life by several days.

Flower Meanings

Spring

Spring is almost here! Get ready for some of the beautiful seasonal flowers coming soon to Fastflowers.com.au!

Summer is almost here

Peony – (means) Happy Life + Joyful Marriage, can also mean embarrassment, disgrace. » Peonies generally have large ostentatious flowers; and are well-known for their fragrance; some were used in making perfumes at the turn of the twentieth century although not so popular today. Peonies (and their relatives) have been cultivated for their decorative and medicinal value for the last 2 thousand years – thus making them a very ancient plant indeed. China's national flower symbol is the Peony!

Summer Specials

Over the coming months as the weather gets warmer fastflowers will be offering fresh summer flowers in wonderful flower arrangements. Our Australian florists are ready to use fresh summer flowers including peony roses, alstroemeria, sunflowers and snap dragons. Watch out for our web special on our homepage or sign up to our newsletter to receive special offers and extra discounts.

Weddings - How to choose your flowers?

When it comes time to choose your wedding flowers, you need to have a few ideas decided before you come in to see your florist.

Firstly, what is your theme or colours for the wedding?

Where is the location? Beach? Garden? Church?

How many people are in your bridal party?

What is the colour and style of the brides and bridesmaids dresses?

You can find many flower availability charts on the internet that may help you make some preliminary choices for your flowers. No good coming in with your heart set on something that isn't available when you are getting married!

Generally, we don't recommend using flowers that are out of season as they are sourced from overseas markets. Not to mention the intense fumigation and couriering the flowers receive before they even make the florist's store. It's not just a cost and environmental issue for florists, but a matter of appreciation and inspiration received from fresh, locally grown flowers that are in season and ready to bloom.

Nothing says "spring" like ranunculi, tulips, freesias and sweet pea!

Most Bridal magazines will give you some ideas as to shapes and styles you prefer...

• Natural, with greens and whites,
• Structured, with twigs and vines
• Petite, with soft delicate flowers and ribbon
• Bold, with large colourful flowers and glossy leaves.
• Exotic, with orchids and tropical flowers
• Sensual, with herbs and fragrant flowers

If possible bring a few pictures of what you like along with fabric samples of the bridal dress to our flower shop. That way colours aren't left to interpretation and can be judged against your chosen flowers. This will help you decide the right colour combinations.

Work with your florist and give them a BIG picture of what you want your day to be about. That way we can help you realise your dream with fresh, beautiful, unforgettable flowers!

What is in style?

We often receive emails from clients asking what flowers are in fashion at the moment. We thought it would be appropriate to share some of our ideas so that our customers understand which blooms we are using along with which foliages. in the winter months many species of flowers don't bloom. As such florists rely on flower imports or begin to use locally grown winter flowers. At present we are using a lot of winter tulips, glass house large headed roses and fresh hyacinth. We mix there blooms with fresh foliages such as magnolia leaves, viburnum and textured tropical leaves that are available all year round.

We often advise clients that simple is sometimes best. A gorgeous bunch of hand-tied tulips or a simple grouped bouquet will always stand out.

If you are interested to see some of our more intricate designs don't forget to visit our Facebook page regularly.

Winter Tulips

Yes you've guessed it. It's that time of the year again!

Your skin and hair is dried out, trees lose their leaves, yes you've guessed it WINTER!!!

Fortunately here at Fastflowers.com.au we have the freshest flowers no matter what season we are in. We source local hot-house roses during the cold winter months but for something more interesting during winter why not try something new?

Maybe you weren't sure what else is available during winter, but Fastflowers has some beautiful blooms that can warm up the winter's home.

Our florists have designed "Something Sweet" with field-fresh winter Tulips. We buy them with tight fresh heads which allow them to blossom and take on their full colour in your home.

The Tulip will continue to grow even when cut and will bend and grow towards the light. One lady came in and shared with us how her arrangement was placed on a dining room table with the window on the side of the room. Throughout the whole week she watched her tulips blossom and grow towards the window. Finally each petal openned to reveal the soft and pretty centre of her Tulips.

Fastflowers has a unique product called "Something Sweet" which is a pot arrangement of fresh Tulips and sweet lollipops. Come in to one of our stores today to watch our florists weave their magic with Tulips or order a Tulip arrangement online today.

Testimonials

Find out what our customers think of our fresh flowers:

"Hi Fastflowers! I've just received an e-mail from my sister in Brisbane thanking me for the wonderful flowers and chocolate eggs she'd received. So I just wanted to pass on the thanks really, for always being so reliable and allowing me to know I've sent a lovely present even though I'm a long way away. Thanks again and keep up the good work!" - Jacci

Why are my buds green?

Flowers, Flowers and More Flowers

One of our most popular requests is for a bouquet of a dozen long red roses. However we often get asked (mainly by men!) what are good alternative flowers to send instead of roses. At this time of year we often suggest, tulips, lilies and some of the more fragrant winter varieties such as freesias and sweet pea.

It can be very daunting to send flowers in the early stages of a relationship. We would suggest browsing our website and trying to match an arrangement to the recipient's personality. For a more bubbly, energetic person we would recommend a bright bouquet or our Cherry Ripe box. For a more conservative recipient you can't go wrong with a bouquet of lilies or tulips.

As always if you still can make up your mind just send us an email or call one of our friendly flower consultants.

Country Flower Emblems

• Australia – Golden Wattle
• China - Peony
• England – Red Tudor Rose
• Egypt – Egyptian Lotus
• France – Lily
• Japan – Cherry Blossom
• Israel – Sharon Lily
• Malaysia – Chinese Hibiscus
• Mexico – Orchid
• Monaco – Carnation
• Netherlands – Orange Tulip
• New Zealand – Kowhai / Silver Fern
• Portugal – Lavender
• Russia – Daisy
• South Africa – King Protea
• USA – Rose