3 ways to tell if a florist is good

Recently my best friend, who is my daughter’s Godmother, sent my daughter flowers. They came from Carithers Flowers, an Atlanta florist. They were beautiful. More importantly, they lasted a very long time. Arrangement longevity is what catches my attention in a florist. So many people can create gorgeous arrangements. But what makes a florist nearby a good one? How do you know? I’ve written a few posts about flower care (how to keep hydrangeas from drooping, and 3 tricks to keep arrangements alive longer. ) Buckhead is a high end part of town in Atlanta and there are a lot of flower shops. But Carither’s is a standout among the choices for Buckhead flowers.

how to tell a good florist

1. Ask if they have a refrigerated delivery van. If they don’t, hang up the phone immediately. Flowers need refrigeration and a hot delivery car will harm them big time before they even hit your doorstop.
2. Look in the clear bottom of the vase. Do you see leaves? That’s not good. Leaves and flowers in the water will introduce mildew and yuck in the water which shortens the flower life span. If the product has been carefully handled, they should have cleaned they stems before placing them in the water to keep the water as clean as possible.
3. Pull out a few of the stems – are they cut on a diagonal? Are the hydrangea cut in a heavy deep bias? This means someone hand cut them and paid careful attention to how each type of flower needs hydration. It lets you know your arrangement was made with care. If the stems are flat at the bottom then those flowers likely went from a shipping box, to laying flat on a counter and in a vase in a mechanical type operation rather than with care and craftsmanship.

Even Albie knows a good flower arrangement when he sees one!

Thank you to Carithers for these beautiful flowers. I will always highly recommend you!

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