I am a Florist - how do I become a wholesale customer?
Simply Register and we will contact you to confirm you are a legitimate candidate.
Cairns is so far away, wouldn't locally purchased flowers be fresher?
All tropical flowers are cold sensitive and they can only be grown to the highest quality in the tropics of the very north of Australia. We also guarantee that all of our flowers are shipped within 24 hours of picking to maintain absolute freshness.
Our flowers are only shipped by overnight air freight and delivered by courier to your door. Road transport is not viable for interstate customers (remember - it's almost 2,000 kilometres just to Brisbane from Cairns, not to mention Melbourne.)
How long should tropical flowers last?
All of our product is shipped in "wet pack boxes" for maximum moisture retention and freshness. We will only supply varieties that meet our strict requirements for a cut flower.
The minimum life you should expect is 7-10 days but some larger types can last up to 21 days. Many different varieties make up the range of tropical flowers and many of these are unsuitable as cut flowers.
What if my order is damaged or has been lost?
Don't worry - contact us and we will fix it. Tropical Blooms has an unconditional guarantee that covers all products including any transit problems you may encounter. See Our Terms for more detailed information.
What can I do to help my flowers last longer?
You can still help to get the very best from your tropical flowers by handling them correctly. Like most cut flowers, make sure your flowers are not located where they are exposed to extreme heat or cold conditions. Of course, keeping them well watered and re-cutting the stems from time to time will also help.
See our guide to "what you can do" below.
Do you grow all of your own flowers?
We grow about 95% of our Tropical Flowers, we import our Orchids and also have a few selected local growers who supply us with specialist products. Nothing that we supply (apart from our Orchids) is grown more than half an hour's drive from our front gate.
How much notice do you need for orders?
Under normal circumstances all product will arrive within 3 working days of our receipt of your order unless you specify a specific date (we only dispatch on Tuesday and Fridays.)
We can ship to any town or city in Australia except those in W.A. (Due to quarantine restrictions) We do not ship Internationally.
Can I order whatever colours or varieties I like?
Yes, you can order to your specific needs subject to product availability but we cannot alter our discounted set boxes as they are pre-determined.
Do you give wholesale discounts for regular or volume orders?
Yes, we offer discounts on larger volume orders and regular multiple box orders. Call to discuss large volume orders.
All of our mixed box combinations include free freight and delivery to your door.
Freight for all other orders will be calculated based on the weight of that order. Larger orders are restricted to mainly metropolitan and larger country areas.
How do I care for Tropical Flowers?
Tropical flowers and foliages are unique in the floral world. As such, they require slightly different care and treatment to gain the most life from them.
What We Do
When Tropical flowers are picked, they take up very little water through their stem. Two things govern the life of a Tropical Flower.
1) How much water the grower has provided for the plant before the flower is picked.
2) How much moisture can be retained in the flower post harvest.
Tropical Blooms has kilometres of highly sophisticated underground irrigation systems. We use around 150,000 litres of water every night to maintain maximum turgidity in our plants before picking. Our team start picking at dawn and quickly move through the flowers in the early morning cool. As the flowers are picked, they are being collected and transported to our processing facility (on the farm). They are trimmed and quality checked before being dipped in a special antitranspirant solution to reduce future moisture loss.
Our products are dispatched within 24 hours of picking. We use plastic lined "wet pack box's" to retain maximum moisture during transit.
What You Can Do
When you receive a box of our Tropical Flowers or Foliage you should unpack them carefully and if possible. You can submerse the entire flower and stem in a large tub of water for around 15 minutes.
Recut the stems whilst underwater and remove any pieces of packing paper. Try not to wipe off the protective glossy antitranspirant. If you do not have a tub large enough for the flowers use the deepest bucket you have and stand the flowers in this to soak. Mist heavily any part of the flower above water level.
Tropicals are very cold sensitive, so do not use ice cold tap water and if possible do not expose them to temperatures below ~10 c for long periods.
Do not ever refrigerate your Tropical Flowers.
Florists - display at room temperature during the day and mist regularly. At night place them in a large bucket (filled) and if possible, cover (with a big garbage bag for example). This will ensure you retain maximum moisture levels in the flowers and therefore maximise their life for your customers.
Home users - Treat your Tropicals in the same manner as florists when you receive them, but just mist them regularly and change the water every few days.
Some tips
1) Do not store flowers near direct sunlight, in draughts or near heaters. Reverse cycle air conditioning will also dry out the atmosphere very quickly, so flowers will require extra misting to maintain humidity around them under these conditions.
2) Remove any leaves that curl and trim brown tips from flowers if they occur. These are both symptoms of moisture loss or heat stress. Browning at the base of the flower head is caused by cold damage.
3) Heliconia's have small florets in the bracts called "day flowers" and it is common for a few of these to drop through the life of the flower, particularly in the first few days after picking. Because we do not hold any product for more than 24 hours you will find more of these florets with our flowers than from some other sources. This is an entirely normal aspect of Heliconia flowers and is a good indicator of flower freshness.