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Starting with a quality floral product from Puyallup Valley Flower is only the beginning. Here are some handling tips that guarantee your customer will enjoy the flowers you provide. We cover daffodils, tulips, iris, fuchsias, ivy geraniums, supertunias and euro sun baskets.

Daffodils, tulips and iris are very similar in their needs.

Put the flowers in a cooler. The ideal temperature will be 35 to 39 degrees. If at all possible, separate flowers from your produce and dairy products. Both produce and dairy products emit gases that are harmful to flowers. They will age quicker.
Keep flowers in their delivery boxes and leave the cellophane wrappers on.
If you will display your flowers, leave them in their cellophane wrappers. Cut the bottoms 1/2 to 1 inch from the ends.
Always use cool, clean water in a sterile container.
To open daffodils quicker, put them in lukewarm water.
Tulips require special care. Plan on providing twice the water required of most cut flowers. Put a few pennies in the vase; the copper kills bacteria that would otherwise be absorbed by these thirsty plants.
Tulips are rubbery until they are put in a vase with water. Then they become rigid with their huge intake of water. They will take the shape they are in when they start drawing water. If they start droopy, they'll stay that way. The cellophane wrapper keeps them upright. Keep them in their cellophane wrapper for a couple hours before taking it off, unless you like the droopy look.
Keep tulips out of direct sunlight.
Mixing tulips and daffodils is natural, but requires special care. Put the daffodils in water first. Do not mix tulips and daffodils until the daffodils have been in the vase at least 4 hours. Daffodils secrete a milky substance that is poisonous to the tulips.

Handling tips for supertunias, geraniums and fuchsias are very similar. All like sunshine, but supertunias and fuchsias cannot tolerate the draught conditions of the harsh afternoon sun. Geraniums thrive on strong, bright sun. Supertunias are by far the most thirsty of the three plants. If you decide to put them in bright light, plan on watering twice on hot summer days. All three like to be fertilized a couple times a month while they are flowering.

THESE INSTRUCTIONS ARE INTENDED FOR YOUR END USERS.

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CARE INSTRUCTIONS FOR CUT TULIPS

CUT TULIPS NEED TO BE HYDRATED BEFORE USING.
CUT 1/4 TO 1/2 INCH (CAN BE MORE) FROM STEMS AND PLACE IN COOL WATER
DO NOT REMOVE THE CELLOPHANE WRAP FOR 3 HOURS. THIS LETS THE TULIPS BECOME HYDRATED IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION. IT IS ALSO HELPFUL TO PUT 5 OR 6 PENNIES IN EACH VASE.
AFTER 3 HOURS OR MORE, TAKE THE CELLOPHANE WRAP OFF THE TULIPS AND ENJOY.
TULIPS WILL DRINK A LOT OF WATER, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHECK THE WATER IN THE VASE DAILY. WITHOUT WATER TULIPS WILL WILT QUICKLY.

Fuschias like a bright lighted area but not direct sun. A little early morning or late evening sun is OK, but the hot mid-day should be avoided. They need to be keep moist but not wet. It is OK to water heavy if they have gotten a little dry, but then let them drain so air can again get to the roots. They need both air and water for the roots to do well. You cannot have a healthy plant without healthy roots. Let the plant get so dry that the planting mix shrinks and pulls away from the side of the basket. If fuchsias are stressed by being too dry or too wet they will not flower very well. It will take 2 to 3 weeks of good care to get back into good flowering. It is recommended to water with a soluble fertilizer about every 3rd or 4th watering. A Peters 20-20-20 general purpose or equivalent is recommended. It is also good for one of the waterings without fertilizer to water heavy enough to flush the basket. This could be done once every other time you water with fertilizer. If the plants are watered only small amounts each time and the water does not drain through the basket it can get a salt build up from the fertilizer. This can harm the plants. It is recommended to buy a moisture tester.

Do not place Fuchsias where there is a constant breeze. (For example, in an area where the wind sweeps around the house.)

It is recommended to fertilize Ivy Geraniums every 4th or 5th time of watering. You should use a Peters 15-15-15 Geranium Special fertilizer. Geraniums should be keep moist at all times. It is best to water Ivy Geraniums in the morning and not the hot part of the day or at night. However, if you find them very dry it is better to give them a small amount of water instead of waiting until the next morning. When Ivy Geraniums get very thirsty and are given too much water they drink too fast. That ruptures the cells in the leaves. This will heal, but leaves scabs where the cells broke. It looks bad, but is not a disease and will not spread to others areas. It is good to flush baskets of Ivy Geraniums the same way as Fuchsias.

Supertunias like the direct sun or a very bright area. These plants do well by a lake or swimming pool in the direct sun, or even in a hot parking lot. Supertunias are very fast growing and get quite large. It is important to not let the plants dry out. If allowed to get dry they will start to drop leaves at the base of the stem. The more times they get dry the more leaves they drop. These plants are heavy feeders and should be fertilized with Peters 20-20-20 General Purpose every 3rd or 4th watering. They should be flushed the same as the Fuchsias from time to time to prevent salt build ups. If these plants get too big for where you have them you can very easily cut the end back as far as you like and they will branch and keep growing.

Euro Sun Baskets are a mixed basket with 6 to 9 different plants in one basket that all love and thrive on direct sun. Given proper care these baskets will get huge by the end of the summer. Fertilize the same way you would a Fuchsia; do not let them dry out and do not keep to wet. Remember, overwatering once in a while is OK to flush the plants. In hot weather these plants will need watering every day. If they are fairly dry when it is time to water each morning it is OK to water heavy until the water runs through the basket. The plant mix is designed to forgive over watering and in a couple of hours air will be to the roots and the plant will be just right. BUT if you water too much during a damp cool rainy time the plants are not using as much water. The soil will be too wet for a longer time and will rot the roots or cause root diseases.