WHAT IS IT?

Preservation, stabilization, freeze-drying... What is the vocabulary to use?

For several years we have witnessed the popularization of many fields: natural sciences, history, and even news. In addition to selling, it is sometimes a matter of making shortcuts suggesting that the subject is mastered. At SecondFlor, we decided to take the opposite side. We prefer to initiate the movement of knowledge so that no one is fooled, and the consumer can be 100% aware of what he is buying. That is why we work hard to set up a semantic field in the preserved plants world.

Disclaimer

In order to clarify all the techniques that exist and to give the right information on the product we sell, we are creating a semantics that did not exist. Too often, the term “preserved” is misused to characterize plants that are not preserved. It is for example difficult to admit that we can compare ball moss simply sprayed with a papyrus preserved (stabilized, in reality) by capillarity. It is neither the same technology nor the same reliability, nor the same finished product. This semantic question is a worldwide matter, in all languages.

What are the different methods and its vocabulary?

Preservation is a technique to preserve plants starting from dry raw material. We say “preserved” in English, “préservé” in French, “preservado” in Spanish, “konserviert” in deutsch, “conservato” in italian, etc.

Stabilization, on the other hand, consists of a technology to preserve fresh plants. It’s a much more advanced technique. The word “stabilized” exists, and is more accurate to use, but in English “preserved” has become the generic word for both techniques.

A lyophilized plant no longer has water thanks to the drying process implemented on a frozen plant. The water, in the ice state, evaporates without melting. This allows it to preserve both its volume and appearance.

A dried plant sees its water evaporate during the hot drying process. It then loses its softness and luster.

The importance of words in the preserved industry

Professionals in this universe have tended to describe any plant as “preserved”, taking advantage of their clients’ lack of knowledge. The consumer must be interested in the techniques in order to know what he is buying. Whether it is florists or their customers, it is important to know the specificities of each product in order to know what to expect. You are not only buying a plant, but also a preservation technique.

Take hydrangea, for example. It exists dried, tinted dried, preserved by immersion, stabilized by the flower technique (alcohol), stabilized by capillarity. The same plant has the capacity to be preserved according to all these techniques. Each of these methods has its pros and its cons: maintaining flexibility, color strength, color reliability over time, price, etc. Without a thorough knowledge of the product, it is difficult for the consumer to find his way around and know the difference.

You, as professionals, shall be curious, and be demanding toward your suppliers on the quality of the words they choose.