Sustainability Tips for Florists and Flower Lovers

by esmefleur | Nov 19, 2021 | Flower Tips

Sustainability Tips for Florists and Flower Lovers.

Here at Esme Fleur Florist in Brisbane, we’re mindful about our role in lessening our impact on our beautiful planet.

We certainly aren’t perfect in our environmental practices, however, we believe every little choice counts.

It’s not about perfection, it’s about each of us contributing.

Sometimes it’s all too convenient to let wasteful day to day behaviour slide and so here are some ideas to encourage you to make small choices for the better whenever possible. This blog will provide you with some sustainability tips for Florists and Flower Lovers.

1. Opt for Locally Grown Over Imported Flowers

You’ve likely heard of “food miles”, well this is being aware of the same concept but with flowers. The distance travelled for those flowers to get to you from international locations adds to your business’ impact on the earth, or your impact as a customer.

Another thing to consider is generally imported flowers need to be sprayed with extremely toxic chemicals to be allowed into Australia (and many other countries with strict biosecurity). Not only is this another step that’s not great for the planet, it’s pretty poor for your health too!

If you’re a florist, consider setting yourself a ratio goal of Australia:International to stick by when ordering and purchasing wholesale. And if you’re a consumer, ask your florist where their flowers are grown.

Regardless of location, always remember to wash your hands well after handling flowers grown with chemicals.

2. Choose Paper or Unwrapped Flowers

Support your growers, suppliers and florists that wrap their blooms in recycled, standard paper or unwrapped rather than in single use plastic sleeves.

When making your order with suppliers, request if possible, for no or minimal plastic wrapping.

If you’re a floral customer, ask your florist for paper or recyclable wrapping and request that no floral foam is used for wet packing.

We use thick white kraft paper that can be recycled and have a unique gift option for pretty seeded cards you can plant to grow daisies!

3. Recycle Soft Plastics

This is a controversial one. We understand, and I also question myself what actually happens to the soft plastics we recycle?

However, I still feel even if it’s just a little bit that ends up being reused it’s far better than none! I take my plastics to Coles or Woolworths supermarkets.

To find your local soft plastics recycling station, simply Google in your area.

4. Use Your Green Bin for Flower & Foliage Waste

In many areas of the world, green waste is collected and turned into mulch and compost.

Be sure to take out any plastic scraps, tape or rubber bands. It’s a small change you can make for bigger, long-term impacts.

5. Reuse Water Vials, Rubber Bands & Ribbons

At Esme Fleur, we only occasionally purchase water vials and never purchase new rubber bands. Saving even some of these that come bundling your wholesale flowers is not only consuming less as a business, but almost more cost effective for you.

If you receive a bunch of flowers, you can reuse the ribbons, keep the rubber bands and recycle the papers!

Plant and Flower Care

by esmefleur | Oct 13, 2021 | Flower Tips

We are so happy you received a gift from Esme Fleur; we hope you enjoy them! Here are some plant and flower care tips to ensure the best possible vase life.

Bouquet care

Keep the flowers wrapped until you are ready to place in a vase. We deliver all flowers with a water source to ensure they travel well. There is usually enough water to last a day.

Once you are ready, fill a suitable sized vase with room temperature water. It is not necessary to add a flower preservative or bleach. We would recommend instead to change the water daily to ensure a long vase life.

Unwrap your flowers. At this stage leave the binding secure, this will keep the flowers manageable.

Remove any leaves that will fall below the water line as this encourages bacterial growth.

With sharp secateurs cut each stem on a steep angle. This creates a larger service area for the flower to drink.

Place the flowers into your chosen vase. You may find you need to remove extra stem to allow the blooms and foliage to sit right. At this point you may wish to remove the binding to allow the flowers to fill the vase as needed.

Place your flowers in a draft free position away from heat or direct sunlight. For the best results, change the water daily.

Arrangement care

Flower arrangements are usually made into florist foam, a permeable material that allows flowers and foliage to maintain a water source.

It is not necessary to remove your flowers from this material. Your flowers have been designed so you are able to water them every second day with ease.

Take a quarter cup of water and pour slowly into the centre of the flower arrangement. It is best to place a finger on to the surface of the florist foam as you pour. Once the foam is full, water will begin to pool on its surface – at this point stop pouring.

We would recommend placing your flowers on a non-porous surface to avoid any staining that may occur if your flower arrangement is over-watered and leaks.

Spent flowers can be disposed of in the household compost. Florist foam should be disposed of with regular household refuse.

Plant care

At Esme Fleur we sell the plants we like to keep in our own homes – low maintenance, easy on water and thrive in a variety of light conditions.

Generally indoor plants require watering only when the growing medium is dry, most plants do not thrive if allowed to sit in water. In Brisbane’s summer months, watering will be more frequent.

Most indoor plants require a well-lit position out of direct sun, and away from heat and air conditioning tracks. Most of the plants we gift come with specific care instructions – make sure to check those too!

We hope these plant and flower care tips help you to get the best possible lifespan of your florals. If you have any questions pop them below in the comments 🙂

If you would like to shop our bouquets and gifts, click here.