What to do when your flower delivery arrives

Make room before the handover

Choose a stable surface away from a busy doorway, direct heat or a place where the gift could be knocked over. If someone is receiving the flowers for you, tell them where to put them and when you will collect them. Avoid planning a long wait at reception without an agreed receiver.

A large bouquet can need more space than expected. Check the selected product’s dimensions where available and ask about a container before ordering if you do not have one. Receiving preparations are especially useful for hotel rooms and workplaces.

Identify the arrangement type

• Wrapped cut stems: check whether the transport wrapping should be removed and whether a vase is included.
• Vase arrangement: follow the florist’s advice about water and any supporting structure.
• Box arrangement: ask how its internal water source should be maintained; do not assume the box can be filled like a vase.
• Living plant: use plant-specific instructions instead of cut-flower advice.

Preserve any label or care card. If the arrangement is tied or supported in a particular way, ask the florist before dismantling it.

A simple routine for ordinary cut flowers

RHS cut-flower guidance recommends a clean vase, removing foliage below the water line and trimming stems with a clean, sharp tool. Its vase-care advice also recommends cut-flower food, a cooler location away from heat and regular water checks. Follow the food packet’s directions if it is supplied.

Refresh the water and trim the stem bases as appropriate for the flowers, following the florist’s instructions. Remove spent blooms. Iowa State University’s care guidance advises checking water daily and changing it if cloudy or smelly. Different flowers age at different rates, so do not treat a general number of days as a guarantee.

Check the gift while the details are clear

Compare the delivered contents with the selected product and variant. Keep the order confirmation and note any missing component or obvious damage. Clear photographs taken soon after receipt can help the florist understand the issue.

Describe what you can observe: an item missing from a named bundle, a damaged container or a problem with particular stems. Avoid removing the evidence before contacting the shop. Ask for the next step under its current policy rather than assuming a particular refund or replacement outcome.

Pass useful information to the recipient

If you ordered the gift for someone else, let them know where the care instructions are and which shop supplied it. They may need the order reference if they have a question. A short message after handover can also confirm that the bouquet reached the intended person, rather than only the building’s reception.

Keep food extras separate and follow their own storage instructions. Caring for the whole gift begins with understanding what each part needs.

Questions you may still have