I Tried "Fluffing" Roses Like a Florist, But I Might Leave It to the Pros—Here's Why

Next time, I'm buying peonies

When it comes to buying flowers, I love a frillier bloom. Give me a bouquet of peonies, ranunculus, and fringed tulips over almost anything else and I’m happy.

So, when I heard about the latest TikTok flower hack to fluff your roses, my interest was extremely piqued.

With this video in mind, I made my way to my local flower stand, ready to test this method out.

How It Works

The idea is simple. Using a new bouquet of fresh roses, gently pull the petals apart and—watching for thorns, if necessary—twirl each stem upside down between your palms so that the petals spread.

In the end, you should have an open, "fluffy" rose that looks fuller and more expensive than your original bouquet.

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Heeding My Florist's Advice

After selecting my bouquet, I asked my local florist for her take. She looked slightly scandalized and offered a few words of warning for trying it myself.

She suggested doing this toward the end of the bouquet's natural life, or else, the roses could die faster. Petals are like fruit—if you tug on them too much, they’ll bruise within a day.

I nodded along to her wisdom, earnest and wide-eyed, knowing exactly what I had to do. In the name of this experiment, I needed to go home and yank on these petals immediately to see what happened.

My Process

Much like in the videos, I prepared my roses as I normally would for a vase of water: I trimmed the stems and I snipped off the extra leaves. But this time, I gently pushed around the petals, turned each stem upside down, and twirled my roses one by one.

I have to admit, my blooms didn’t look too different after all this poking and twirling. Maybe if I used a ruler to measure the difference I would have noticed some bigger blossoms?

I’m not sure, but I wasn’t particularly impressed. I thought to myself, if you want your roses to look like peonies, maybe you should just buy peonies.

One Day Later: Yes, Petals Do Bruise Like Fruit

Color me surprised, but the professional was correct: petals do bruise if you pull at them—and they look a lot like bruised fruit, too. I pulled off the browning bits and decided to enjoy my bouquet for what it was…at least for now.

Three Days Later: Take Two

With my florist’s expertise ringing in my ears, I watched my bouquet for signs that it was time to try fluffing these flowers again. I waited for the tighter roses to open naturally, and when I was feeling brave enough, I dove in for another round.

This time was so much worse.

The first flower I touched seemed to wilt in my hands. Either I waited too long, or my florist was right again—fluffing your roses too soon will only lead to certain death. The second bloom I selected seemed sturdy, but when I twirled her in between my hands, petals went flying.

The bud had fallen open slightly, but at what cost? This was then I decided to call it—fluffing roses is not my hack of choice.

So, What Went Wrong?

I couldn’t show my face at my flower stand again, at least not so soon. I couldn’t lie to my helpful neighborhood florist and tell her I did not heed her advice!

Lucky for me, I was able to connect with James Stevens, aka Mr. Roses, instead. Here's what he had to say about this TikTok tip.

Pick Sturdier Roses

According to Mr. Roses, it’s possible I selected the wrong varietal for this particular effect. While mine were dainty and lovely, he says massive-headed roses with thicker stems are far more capable of sustaining the trauma I had obviously inflicted on my delicate bouquet.

‘Fluff’ At the Right Time

Although my florist suggested waiting until my roses were nearing the end of their lifespan, Stevens says with massive-headed roses, it’s better to try this technique when the blooms are about 30-50% open.

“They should feel silky, definitely not brittle, but also not soft,” he says. “At the correct stage, the outer petals are beginning to unfurl, but the inner petals are still closely nestled together.”

This, says Stevens, is the best way to ensure your petals are flexible but not overly delicate.

Take Your Time

This next tip, I suspect, was my biggest floral faux pas. According to Stevens, this process should take about five minutes per rose to ensure you’re as careful as possible.

“To avoid browning, you have to do this very slowly, and very carefully,” he says. “This shouldn’t be rushed.” …oops.

Go Au Natural

While you can, of course, fluff your roses if you feel so compelled, Stevens is also on Team Natural Bloom.

“We let our roses bloom naturally to showcase their natural beauty,” he says. “In saying that, we understand the appeal of this technique for special displays or even for a moment or so of mindfulness.”

So, if you find yourself preparing for an event and you wish your roses looked a little fuller—have a go! Otherwise, I'd say to let your roses bloom as they please, or pick another bouquet entirely.

Read Next: I Tried This TikTok Hack to Keep Flowers Fresh for an Entire Month

Read the original article on The Spruce.