Every year, the autumn equinox ushers in our busiest sales weeks at PFG. And if we’re busy, that means you’re even busier. So we’ll keep this week’s newsletter short and sweet. No one has time for leisurely reading right now!
Why is late September through early October our biggest sales window? Short answer: dahlias + weddings. In the past three weeks alone, we’ve chauffeured nearly 10,000 dahlias from local farms to local florists. And we have 1000s more for next week! Moving these divas around is no easy feat, but we do so adore them.
That said, dahlias aren’t exactly fans of the wholesale supply chain, even a short, local one like ours. These girls want their hair down and the breeze billowing through their blooms. God forbid they be contained in a sleeve!
So if your dahlias look a little sad when they arrive, don’t panic. Here’s what to do:
1. Keep them cool. Get them into a cool space as soon as possible. Have a long drive ahead? Keep the AC cranking, even in fall.
2. Remove their sleeves immediately when you get to the studio. The longer they stay sleeved, the more prone they are to a temper tantrum.
3. Give the stems a fresh cut with clean, sharp floral snips.
4. Put them in deep, cool, clean water. Dahlias are prissy about dirty buckets, and honestly, we can’t blame them.
5. Give them time to rehydrate. Put them in your cooler or the coolest room you have, and allow at least 12 hours of conditioning before designing with them. If they’re slow to perk up, Quick Dip may help; follow the product directions.
6. Expect a little petal drop. A few petals falling from the back of a bloom after sleeving and transport isn’t necessarily cause for alarm, especially with dinnerplate varieties. A bloom that is shedding so many petals that it’s unusable is a different story.
7. Tell us if something isn’t right. If dahlias still aren’t looking good after 12 hours of conditioning and a little Quick Dip, email us photos and the number of unusable stems. We’ll review them and issue a refund where appropriate. Refund requests must be submitted by email and include photos.
8. Anticipate a short vase life. Even the crème de la crème of dahlias are fleeting. As a general guide, ball dahlias may give you around five days, decorative and waterlily varieties around four, and dinnerplates around three. A cooler helps, but the flowers are still aging while they’re in there.
9. Keep away from ethylene sources. Store dahlias away from ripening fruit and aging plant material, and clean out your cooler regularly during dahlia season.
10. Set expectations with your customers. Dahlias are spectacular and beloved precisely because they’re here for such a short time. Let customers know what to expect so they can enjoy every moment with them.
We have about a month left with these glorious marvels of nature. Now is the time to get your dahlia fix!