• The best storage temperature is between 4 and 8°C
• Always use clean water
• Don’t let any leaves droop into the water
• Bear in mind that carnations are less sensitive to drying out than most cut flowers

Tips for presentation

• Viburnum - Work with the packaging. Add delicate tissue paper  between the flowers to create a unique display, instead of a simple bouquet in a vase. Adding some Viburnum is a nice touch.
• The carnation is so special that it deserves to be the hero flower! Using  3 kinds to make a bouquet really looks stunning.  Finish it off with ivy leaf and wrap it with copper wire, floating  a web of wire over the flower heads.
• Sort carnations by colour and by variety. This way they  will look more attractive and  be far more eye-catching.
• Customers need to be led so why not mirror the home in your shop: -put a few carnations in distinctive vases on a dresser or a mantelpiece.
• The right type of vase is essential. Choose a style that either contrasts with, or complements, the flowers.  An antique vase will create a different look to that of a super modern one. And the same is true for sombre or bright colours, natural materials or artificial. It does you good to experiment, so have a go!

• Cut 3 to 5 cm off the stems at an angle
• Place the carnations in clean water and in a clean vase
• Carnations don’t need  special cut flower feed, or even any sugar or 7-up in the vase
• Keep the carnations out of direct sunlight and not too close to ripening fruit as the ethylene gas the fruit releases  quickens the ageing process
• Carnations will keep for 7 to 14 days, as long as they are fresh and have been cared for correctly

You can either buy a standard carnation (single bloom) or a spray carnation (branched stem). If you browse through the assortment to see all the colours and forms available per variety, you will get a good idea of how wide the range really is!

Carnations are available all year round because they are cultivated with great craftsmanship in greenhouses. The busiest  production period is between April and October – this  is because the carnation is a ‘longdaygrower’. In other words, the longer the days, the faster the flowers grow, peaking in the summer when the flowers can be harvested 6 to 7 times per week.

A standard carnation takes form as the grower “plucks” the flower while it is growing. This is the process of cutting away the side buds. On the other hand, the spray carnation keeps its side buds, producing as many as  4 to 5 branches with smaller flowers on the stem.

The form of the carnation bloom is very diverse, ranging  from rounded petals to varieties with serrated and fringed edges. This is what makes the carnation so versatile and so special.

Colours

Nowadays carnations come in all kinds of colours  – you name it and the carnation  probably comes in it! So you can be sure to find a stunning and colourful carnation for every interior and for every occasion.