Large bouquets in Melbourne: how the size is built and how to choose
Among large bouquets in Melbourne, hand-tied ones are built in a spiral. Each stem goes in at a slight angle to the last, always the same way round. Every stem crosses at one point a hand's width below the heads, and the bouquet stands on the table on its own. Size itself can come from the number of stems, their length, the size of each flower head, or the container: a hand, a basket or a box.
How a large bouquet is put together
A hand-tied bouquet is built stem by stem in a spiral, each one set at a slight angle to the last and always turned the same way. Every stem meets at one binding point a hand's width below the flower heads, held with ribbon, twine or floral tape, and that binding is what lets the bunch stand upright unaided.
Stem count depends on the flower. A hydrangea or a lily carries a full head on one stem, so a handful is enough. Smaller flowers need more, and a dense look on those tends to start around two dozen stems, more a guide than a rule.
Height comes from stem length rather than stem count. The longest stems in the rose trade grow on Ecuadorian farms, from about seventy centimetres to well over a metre, and that length gives 101 Tall Roses its height.
Hand-tied, basket or box: choosing the form
Large bouquets in Melbourne also come as baskets, a box and a cylinder, not only as bouquets tied for the hand:
- Baskets — Floral Basket No. 3, Giant Mixed Basket with Lilies
- A box — Floral Box "Fantastic"
- A cylinder — Designer Cylinder "Peony Garden"
- Jute-wrapped — 51 Matiola in Jute
A basket needs no vase: it is lined with a waterproof liner, and floral foam keeps the flowers going about as long as a vase would if the whole surface is watered daily. The arrangement still ages as one piece, since the shortest-lived flower sets how long it all looks good.
For anything without a vase, flower baskets gathers the range, and the biggest formats sit under designer giants.
Roses, peonies, lilies or hydrangeas: what lasts and what to watch
A rose lasts around a week in the vase, sometimes closer to ten days. A peony holds for five to seven days; its cutting season in Europe runs from late April into June, so peonies are around for most of the year without quite covering all twelve months.
Every part of a lily, including the pollen and the vase water, is toxic to cats, so a household with one is not the place for them. Once a lily opens, its anthers are removed, which also stops pollen marking furniture.
Hydrangeas drink more than most cut flowers and wilt fastest once they run short; a drooped head usually revives after an hour or two submerged in cool water. The roses section covers the colour range, and peonies lists what is in season.
Large bouquet delivery in Melbourne: what happens after you order
Payment for large bouquet delivery in Melbourne comes before the flowers are bought, since the order tells the florist what to get. A photo of the finished bouquet goes out before the courier leaves, so it can still be changed at that point.
An out-of-stock flower is replaced with one close in shade and price, and that swap shows in the photo too. Timing is shown on each bouquet's own page rather than here, since it varies by item, though most orders reach the recipient the same day.
A date and time slot can be booked for any zone, delivery in the centre costs nothing, and a card with a message is included free. Zones and timing are set out on the Delivery page.
Roses or peonies are a reasonable place to start, a basket suits anywhere without a vase to spare, and the largest formats belong to the designer giants.