It is very important to bring your flowers indoor as soon as they are delivered. If this is not immediately possible, make sure you place your flower box in a cool place. Flowers need to be cut and placed in water as soon as possible. Once cut and in water they may be stored at room temperature as long as they are kept away from heat or cold sources and out of direct sunlight.
Before you unpack your flowers, choose a work area that includes a table or counter top and a floor that can resist water. Have handy garden shears, durable scissors or pruners and several empty containers/buckets.
When you are ready, open the box(es) and begin by carefully unpacking the flowers bunch by bunch, without removing the wrappers protecting the flower buds. Keep in mind that each bunch has several flowers and some type of flowers are packed in two layers within the bunch (rose bunches have 13 stems in the upper layer and 12 stems in the lower layer, or 12 and 13).
Prepare containers/buckets by filling them with room temperature water. Pour in and mix the enclosed floral food packets provided with each flower order. The floral food has been shown to increase the life of fresh flowers by several days. Save some floral food for when you change the water in a few days. If by any unfortunate circumstance your flowers don't come with the flower food to not panic. You can replace it with either a soda (Sprite works well because is clear) or just plain sugar. One tea spoon of sugar for 25 to 50 stems is good enough. Just be sure you change the water every other day.
Cut each stem one inch from the bottom or to your desire length. Be sure to remove any leaves that may fall below the water line to prevent bacteria from forming. Floral food provided and enclosed with each order will also help to limit bacteria growth. Rinse the bottom part of the stems before placing them in water.
Place flowers immediately in your prepared water-filled containers. Ideally, the wrappers that protect the buds should be kept on while the flowers are hydrating. Hydration occurs anywhere between four and ten hours (you can leave them on up to 24 hours). Be sure to carefully remove the wrappers after hydration occurs.
It takes about 24- 36 hours for the true color of each flower to develop. To ensure longer lasting flowers, continue to keep them out of direct sunlight and away from heat. Change the water and cut flower stems one inch every other day. Each time you change the water, add more floral food (or sugar) and be sure that no leaves sit below the water level.
Please keep in mind that roses have 3 to 5 guard petals. These, in many varieties, are of a different color than the true color of the rose. For example, white roses may have green guard petals and red roses have dark red or black borders. You can remove them once the flowers start to bloom. Or you can leave them on for a more natural garden look.
With the passage of time, give your flowers a "face-lift" every couple of days by gently removing any discolored petals and yellow leaves from your flowers.
Enjoy.

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