Am I too late to offer advice with this post?
No, don't bother to condition any flowers, they're gonna look crappy when they arrive so don't go to any trouble. Store them somewhere warm, preferably next to a hot radiator, wilting heads and crispy foliage is so 'this year'.
Don't forget to tie them really tightly with cable ties, so the recipient can't get them undone unless she breaks either blooms and/or her nails, (and this also makes the recipient spend AGES looking for wire snips, strong scissors or pliers to cut aforementioned cable tie).
Oh, and can someone tell me why I spent years training to be a florist when all I had to do was go to wholesalers, buy blooms, shove them in a box, post them and collect the money....how stupid was I
