Mixed bouquets in Dubai: flown-in stems that fade at their own pace
Mixed bouquets in Dubai bring together a rose from Kenya, the UAE's largest supplier of cut flowers, and alstroemeria or carnations from Colombia, and these stems age at very different speeds: the rose lasts about a week, the Colombian stems two to three weeks. Choosing a mix here means choosing which flower leads the bunch and which ones will still be standing once it has gone.
A rose from Kenya, hydrangea from Holland: who fills a Dubai mix
All cut flowers reach the Emirates by air. Kenya sends more cut flowers into the UAE than any other country, and its roses are often the lead flower in a mixed bunch. Dutch farms add hydrangea, tulips and ranunculus, flown in along the same route. Ecuador sends roses with unusually large heads on long stems, and Colombia sends alstroemeria and carnations. A single bunch can carry stems from three or four continents at once: a bouquet called Roses with Lisianthus, for instance, pairs the rose with another flower without the name spelling out anything beyond that. Flowers for an order are bought once it has been paid for, and each bouquet is put together to order rather than taken ready-made off a shelf. Anyone who wants one flower rather than several can look at single-flower bouquets, and a buyer drawn to the rose alone can go straight to roses.
Which stems leave a Dubai bunch first, and which stay for weeks
A rose usually holds for about a week, sometimes closer to ten days, and is the first flower in a mix to fade. Alstroemeria, carnations and chrysanthemum run on a longer clock, lasting two to three weeks; a chrysanthemum's leaves yellow before its petals do, so they get stripped off well ahead of the flower itself. Once the roses in a bunch have gone, they can be pulled out while the rest keeps standing. Anyone after a display built to outlast the first week can look at the bouquet named Bouquet of Long-Lasting Tender Flowers. Hydrangea drinks through its petals as well as its stem, more than most other flowers in a mix. A head that has started to droop can be revived by resting it in water for an hour or two, never longer than four or five hours. The rest of the bunch keeps to the usual routine: stems cut at an angle, water changed every day or two, the vase kept away from direct sun and from fruit.
A mix for a wedding visit, a new baby or a business thank-you
A mixed bouquet in Dubai fits a wedding, an Eid visit, the arrival of a new baby, a condolence call or a thank-you sent from one office to another. Flowers are usually handed over with the right hand or with both, and the recipient often sets the bouquet aside rather than opening it in front of whoever brought it. The occasion and the budget can both be described in a chat with the florist, who sends back a few options with photos and prices before anything is paid. Where the occasion calls for something built specifically for it rather than picked off a shelf, designer bouquets are made to a brief. A bouquet can also travel with a gift to go with the bouquet. Dubai's heat and air-con affect how long a mixed bouquet lasts, and the busiest dates on the city's flower calendar are listed on the same page.
Most orders placed in Dubai go out and arrive the same day, though the exact window is shown on each bouquet's own page rather than here. Before a courier sets off, the florist photographs the finished bouquet, so the sender sees what is actually on its way. Mixed bouquet delivery in Dubai works on that same arrangement. A rose on its own, a single-flower bouquet or a florist-built design are all worth a look before settling on a mix.