They Are Not Peeled, They Are Guarding— Know More About Guard Petals

What are guard petals?

Have you ever received roses with 3-4 hard petals surrounding the exterior of the bloom? These petals are usually blackened, wrinkled, and have a striped appearance, which may make you think the roses are not good. However, it is these thick and robust petals that are protecting the inner buds for a beautiful flare and avoid most mechanical damage on their way to the flower shops and your home. They are the guards of the bloom and so we call them guard petals.

Guard petals can be mostly seen on roses and other petals-dominated blooms. As the upcoming Valentine’s day will be the feast of roses, we want to give you more advice on guard petals to make sure the flowers you received or you are about to give are best-looking and their vase life can last longer. 

Why do we leave the guard petals?

1. Guard petals are the natural defence against mechanical damage. Some damaging factors during the rose-growing period could be strong wind, rain, high heat, insects in search of meals and people brushing past. Guard petals play an important role to protect the inner bloom from being attacked by these natural elements and safeguard the bud to beautifully unfold without any holes or damaged spots on the petals. 

2. When it comes to maintaining roses' aesthetic beauty, more than only natural factors are at play. Before arriving at their destination, roses that are grown for the cut flower market are frequently transported thousands of miles. The roses must survive these bumpy and unpredictable plane trips to reach flower shops overseas. In that case, farmers will leave the guard petals on roses to protect the inner bloom during the shipping process. 

3. The wholesale roses are usually still surrounded by guard petals when they reach flower shops. Our florists will design the arrangements with guard petals on to ensure our customers can enjoy the blossom as long as they can unless the arrangements are going to be used the same day and become disposable after use. Roses can usually last for a week in the vast if they have been given proper care and attention. To avoid some “out of expectations” during delivery service that may reduce the vase life of the bloom, we will not remove the guard petals to let them do their jobs until the end.  

If you receive the flowers still with guard petals, thank you for their GOOD JOBS and you can remove them now as you like to reveal the full beauty of the roses.

How to remove guard petals properly?

1. Simply put your index finger between the nearest internal rose petal and the guard petal.
2. Pinch your thumb and index finger together, then remove the guard petal. 

3. Make sure to get rid of the whole guard petal. Any fragments that are left at the base of the bloom are similar to open incisions that can allow bacteria to enter and reduce the flower's lifespan. 

Watch the video below to explore more about how to remove guard petals correctly. 

(The video’s copyright belongs to Mairena Flowers)

At Amazing Graze Flowers, we provide fresh flowers delivery across Melbourne, Geelong, and Mornington Peninsula. We source the flowers directly from growers and deliver to our customers with same-day delivery service. This time, surprise your love ones with something amazing.