Randall Keeps a Christmas Classic - Fresh, Blooming, and Lush
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – Poinsettias are making their way into stores and on our mantles now. Shipping these beauties, in the cold climates, can be tricky. Last year, our friends at Koehler & Dramm experienced an unfortunate loss when temperatures dipped during transit and the vibrant Poinsettia’s red leaves turned droopy and discolored. Not this year….
Koehler & Dramm is a wholesale floral supplier in Minneapolis serving Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and North and South Dakota for over 60 years. They sell fresh cut flowers, bouquets, arrangements, hard goods and supplies, and plants to retail flower shops, studios, mass markets and event companies – including over 10,000 Poinsettias this season.
Temperature control and fresh flowers go hand-in-hand during transit. Ideally, Poinsettias should be shipped in trucks at about 52 to 56oF. Warmer temperatures can result in wilting. Shipping temperatures below 50oF can also result in chilling injury. In addition, Poinsettias don’t like to be mishandled which can cause bruising. In other words, handle Poinsettias with care, please.
In past years, the Poinsettias were packaged in boxes insulated with Styrofoam panels which are effective – but very labor intensive. This year, Koehler & Dramm worked with Randall Manufacturing to design insulated cart covers affectionately called, “plant sleeping bags”, to protect their shipments of Poinsettias. The “plant sleeping bags”, aka insulated cart covers, were sewn with industrial Velcro® on all four sides to conform to the cart dimensions and to ensure a tight seal. The exterior Denier nylon is washable allowing for easy wash down and foldable for easy storage season after season.
Not only is Koehler & Dramm able to pack more efficiently, they are reducing their carbon footprint and reducing landfill waste by reusing their “plant sleeping bags”.
We’re proud to say that Rudolph’s nose isn’t the only thing shining red this season – thousands of Koehler & Dramm Poinsettias are brilliant shades of red as they were kept at just the right temperature on their way to homes everywhere. And to all…. a good night.
