A graduation bouquet: how to choose one that survives the day
WTF! What The Flowers florists · Dnipro
A graduation means hours in the heat, held in hand. Which flowers survive it, what size photographs well and how to keep the bouquet alive.
A graduation puts a bouquet in the worst conditions it can face: several hours in a warm hall or outdoors, held the whole time, without water, followed by a photo session. So choose for endurance rather than beauty, otherwise you get drooping leaves in every photograph by evening.
The best performers are chrysanthemums, carnations, eustoma, spray roses, anthurium and sunflowers. They tolerate hours without water and high temperatures calmly.
The worst are peonies, hydrangeas, tulips and ranunculus. A hydrangea can droop within an hour, a peony opens faster than intended in the heat and starts shedding by evening. These are wonderful flowers, just not for this scenario.
Size matters more than people expect. The bouquet is held in one hand all evening, and a large heavy armful becomes uncomfortable within half an hour. A compact bouquet with a clear shape also photographs better, because it does not hide the person.
If a long stretch separates the ceremony from home, ask the florist to wrap the cut ends in a damp cloth and foil, a standard step we do on request. Even safer is a holder with floral foam, which keeps the flowers in water all evening.
Graduation options are on the graduation bouquets page.
