Orchid Cut Flowers – Important Information!

We need to share some essential information for buying Phalaenopsis and Vanda orchid cut flowers. There have been some recent changes that may affect how you buy these beautiful flowers.

This time last year, physical checks began on some ‘Medium Risk’ plants and flowers – we shared that information in our article ‘Flower Border Inspections Begin – What does it mean for Florists?’

We anticipate (and hope) you’ve seen no changes in how you buy the five flowers on that list – we work hard behind the scenes to keep it that way. However, a recent tweak in the processing of Phalaenopsis orchids may affect you.

Firstly, this is only applicable when you pre-order Orchid Cut flowers and does not affect Orchids bought from Flowers London stock or Flowers Holland stock.

When buying Orchid Cut flowers from the pre-order listing, you now need to allow an extra day.

For example: if you were buying a specific Phalaenopsis variety for a wedding to arrive on Thursday, you previously had to order this by 8pm Tuesday. Now, you must place the order by 8pm Monday – 24 hours earlier.

When you buy from the pre-order list you’re tapping into direct buying from the growers, importers, etc. It all happens behind the scenes, cleverly linking up available stock – often before the flowers have even been picked.

These flowers are still delivered to the main hubs of Royal FloraHolland – where our orders are all centralised before delivery – but they bypassing the morning Dutch Flower Auctions, as they have already been bought.

This means they may arrive later in the day, as such they can miss the required inspections. Without being inspected and certified, they cannot be imported into the UK. That’s why giving an extra day’s notice ensures your orchids are delivered, inspected and cleared in time.

We know there’s many different timelines for ordering, and we always aim to make this really clear. That’s why we have an easy reference guide to all buying times online – just click on our ‘Buying Times’ page.

If you’re focusing on cut flowers, go directly to the Flower Buying Times here. This clearly shows the timelines of ordering, including a handy reminder about orchids.

We completely appreciate buying is just one of the numerous jobs you have to do in your busy day!

Not all orchids are affected – The power cut didn’t impact all glasshouses. There are Vanda cut flowers available from plants that are entirely unaffected.

They’ll never compromise on quality – Ansu will only send out the best quality Vandas. We know from personal experience flowers we’ve received since this incident have been as perfect as ever, so continue to buy with complete confidence.

Support from Thailand – Whilst the cutting of flowers is managed in Holland, Ansu has direct support from it’s partners in Thailand where they have received replacement plants that are already in production.

Plants will flower again soon – Although affected plants had their flower stems cut away and some leaves scorched, the hearts of many plants are unaffected, meaning new flowers should successfully produce flowers again in a matter of weeks.

Short-term issue – Ansu will bounce back quickly. Anyone who has visited and met the team, as we did last year, knows their passion and professionalism.

This will vary depending on your needs. You can still order Vanda cut flowers as usual, but availability is reduced in the short term, and some varieties may not be available.

If you need specific Vanda varieties in the next 10 weeks or so, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We can speak with Ansu and check what options or substitutes they can offer.

While this isn’t the happiest news, it’s important for florists who use orchids regularly.

Over the years, all orchids types have become a popular choice in different designs. More and more florist have been using them everyday, especially thanks to the extension flower tube with spikes,  which make it easy to insert individual flower heads into hand-ties, bunches, or arrangements.

We wanted you to understand:

• Why you’ll see fewer orchids available in pre-order for next delivery
• Why Vanda Orchids will be in short supply for a while.

As always, if you need help or have questions about ordering, don’t hesitate to get in touch.