Flowers can travel dry

It makes no difference to how long flowers will last whether they are transported from the grower to the shop with their stems in water. How long the consumer will be able to enjoy them depends solely on the quality of the plant, according to a study conducted by Wageningen UR Food & Biobased Research together with several flower traders, and funded by the Horticultural Board. When tulips are transported dry in cardboard boxes, 88 percent more stems can be fitted into a truck, making for big savings in transport costs and greenhouse gas emissions. For imported roses that are dry on arrival, dry transport from airport to shop can save shopkeepers 15 percent in transport costs. It is important then that retailers give the delivered flowers a couple of hours in water to revive them. More info: eelke.westra@wur.nl Source:WageningenWorld nr2 1013 ? ?