The charter broker has just added a fourth guest cabin to the manifest and the chief stew has handed you a 400-euro flower budget for a ten-day Western Med charter. You are alongside in Palma with a rental car and one morning. What you buy today decides whether day eight looks as good as day one.
Where Flowers Come From
| Source | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Local market | Seasonal stems, foliage, herbs, cheap volume | Unknown age; often already open; no cold chain |
| Wholesaler / flower market | Best value and freshness; bunches of 10, 20, 50 | Early starts; trade account or cash; minimum quantities |
| Retail florist | Emergency top-up, ready-made pieces | Two to three times wholesale price |
| Yacht agent / provisioning agent | Remote ports, delivery to the passerelle | Markup; you cannot inspect before it arrives |
| Air freight (Holland, Kenya, Ecuador) | Exact varieties, big charters, guaranteed volume | Cost, customs, timing; condition immediately on arrival |
Buying With Judgement
- Buy in bud, not in bloom. Tight buds with colour showing open onboard and give you days. A fully open peony is a two-day flower.
- Check the stem end and the water. Slimy, dark or smelly bucket water means bacterial load and a short life.
- Squeeze test. Rose heads should feel firm, not spongy at the base. Tulip and lily leaves should be crisp, not limp.
- Buy foliage generously. Eucalyptus, ruscus and pittosporum are cheap, last for weeks and can carry an arrangement when the flowers fade.
- Seasonality is your budget. Peonies in May cost a fraction of peonies in November. Buy what the country you are in grows well.
What Travels and What Does Not
- Robust: chrysanthemum, carnation, alstroemeria, orchid stems, anthurium, protea, ruscus, eucalyptus, hydrangea (if fully hydrated).
- Fragile: peony, poppy, sweet pea, gardenia, fully open garden rose, dahlia. Beautiful, short, and for the table on day one only.
- Cargo rule: never leave flowers in a hot car or a tender. Twenty minutes on a Mediterranean quay in August destroys a day of vase life.
Budgeting a Charter
- Work per position per turnover: interior positions multiplied by the number of refresh cycles.
- Spend the money on the hero positions (entrance, saloon, dining table) and use single-stem bud vases in cabins and heads.
- Keep 10 to 15 per cent of the budget in reserve for a mid-charter refresh or an owner surprise.
Onboard Notes
- Take buckets, a knife and clean water in the car. Flowers go from the market straight into water, not into a plastic sleeve for three hours.
- Get a receipt and log the spend against the charter or owner account the same day; APA reconciliation is unforgiving.
- Ask the wholesaler what came in that morning. The freshest stems are rarely the ones on display at the front.