NOTE: All parcels of cut orchid flowers
sent to regional judgings in California must be marked on outside
of package: "Cut Orchid Blooms." Otherwise the post
office opens and inspects the package and in doing so often damages
the flowers.
Suggestions for Shipping Cut Flowers
The AOS does still accept cut flowers for
judging. That's the first and most important point. The problem,
of course is getting them to the judging center in their best
condition. There are several methods, depending on the time of
year and the type of flower.
If you have a one-sided flower, such as a
Paph, you can put it face up in the box and pack around it. However,
a flower such as a Cattleya, or a stem with many Dendrobiums
or Cymbidiums would be a different matter. You should start with
looking at one of the USDA websites:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/Tropical/cutflowers.htm
I found this and it has almost too much information,
but if you read it, you can glean some good hints. The first
one is to put the stem of the flower in a tube of water (maybe
even water with some floral preservative in it). Then the flower
should be cushioned in lots of shredded cellophane (from the
florist supply, or even some paper supply places). Then you have
to secure it in a box that is big enough that the flowers won't
be damaged by hitting the sides of the box. Then, depending on
the time of year, I would include a cold or hot pack, not next
to the flowers, but in the box to keep some cool or warm air
around the flowers. It should probably be taped down so it doesn't
shift during shipment. Make sure everything in the box is secured
so it can't move!!
You should then ship your flowers overnight
to arrive in time for judging. Many judgings are on Saturday,
so you should probably have the flowers arrive the day before.
If the judging is on a weekday, you could arrange for them to
arrive the day of judging. Choose a center that has judging at
the proper time for your blooming flowers and go for it!!
Taylor Slaughter
Send cut flowers to Chaunie Langland, 878 Cashew Way, Fremont,
Ca. 94536 and send email to PacCentralJC@gmail.com