From flower delivery to an arrangement make list

An order tells you what to buy. A make list tells your helpers what to set aside. Keep receiving, conditioning and recipe allocation separate.

Plan the handoff before the boxes arrive

Decide who will receive the delivery, where the flowers can be processed, and which containers belong to which arrangement. A correct order total does not answer those questions. Your supplier's delivery and flower-specific care instructions belong alongside this worksheet.

The RHS describes conditioning as preparing cut flowers before arranging. Its guidance includes removing submerged foliage, making clean cuts and letting prepared stems take up water in a cool place. Follow the RHS conditioning guide and your supplier's instructions for the varieties you actually receive. The planner does not calculate bloom opening or freshness.

Receive against the purchase breakdown

1. Check identity. Match variety, colour and grade to the quote. Keep a substitution separate until you have assessed it.
2. Check quantity. Compare packs received and their stated stem counts with the purchase breakdown. A box count is not a stem count.
3. Check usable material. Set aside stems that need review. Record discrepancies and follow the supplier's reporting process.
4. Prepare and condition. Use the appropriate handling method before allocating flowers to finished pieces.

This is an operational checklist, not a supplier claims policy. Confirm reporting deadlines and evidence requirements with the seller before delivery.

Use the make list to divide the work

The Order & make stage generates a batch for every arrangement with a quantity above zero. Each line shows the recipe per piece and the total to set aside for that batch. It deliberately excludes contingency and pack surplus.

In the sample, eight usable rose stems are already on hand. Supplier A's three 25-stem packs add 75. The 83 available stems cover 72 assigned to recipes, eight reserve stems and three pack-surplus stems. That distinction prevents a helper from using the reserve to make every vase slightly fuller.

Update the plan without buying the delivery twice

Keep the saved pre-order JSON as your purchasing record. If you want to calculate a top-up after delivery, load a copy and replace usable stock with the total suitable stems now on hand, including the delivery. Keep the arrangement recipes and reserve unchanged unless your design has changed. The resulting purchase breakdown is then a top-up estimate, not the original order.

Do not add delivered stems to stock and then use that updated worksheet as proof of the original purchase. Save the receiving revision as a separate file using your browser's save options. StemOrder does not track order status or purchase history.

Give helpers a usable brief

Print the order and make list after the final recipe changes. Add vessel labels, assembly notes and a tested reference arrangement outside the calculator. Reserve flowers should remain identifiable until needed. If a substitute changes the number of stems per piece, edit the recipe first and print a fresh make list.

Continue with assessing a substitution or keeping reserve, stock and surplus separate.

Build your flower order

Reviewed October 31, 2026. Examples illustrate the calculation method; they are not supplier quotes or universal floral recipes.