Is there anything more romantic than giving or receiving flowers?
Flowers just seem to make people happy, whatever the occasion.
Flowers at funerals brighten the mood, release a soothing scent,
and help grieving family members feel remembered and loved during
their time of need.
Birthdays, anniversaries, and Valentine's Day are perhaps the most
natural time to give flowers to someone you care for. But nothing
beats having a flower arrangement delivered to your sweetheart's
work for "absolutely no reason at all." She'll be the talk of the
office all day!
The flowers most commonly used in professional floral bouquets
actually have individual significance, depending on the variety.
The right flower given on the right occasion may convene even more
than you think!
-- Roses usually top everyone's list of flowers to include in an
arrangement. Beginning with its roots in Greek mythology (Aphrodite
was thought to have given one to her son Eros), it has come to
symbolize love and desire. The color of rose you send can be very
meaningful: opinion varies widely on this, but some say that red
means love, yellow means friendship and exuberance, white means
innocence, and orange means passion. Not sure how you feel exactly?
Send them all!
-- Lilies are a large, showy flower that is often used for both
happy and sad occasions: white lilies, for instance, are often used
for both weddings and funerals. Their soft scent is soothing and
otherworldly. The yellow lily, which typically denotes happiness
and friendship, is more commonly used in bouquets for other
occasions.
-- Carnations are absolutely terrific. They come in a wide variety
of colors, are relatively inexpensive, and last a very long time.
They are commonly used as fillers in bouquets, but they are, of
course, beautiful enough to give all on their own. They are a
popular flower for boutonnieres and corsages. They are especially
stunning when paired with the light and airy look of baby's
breath.
-- Iris means "rainbow" and was a symbol of faith in ancient
Greece. They come in a variety of striking colors, such as deep
purple. The smaller, oriental variety is most commonly used in
bouquets. They emit a delicate fragrance and are very popular focal
points in any quality flower arrangement.
Whether you want to say "I love you" or want to express sympathy,
friendship, or any other emotion, flowers are a timeless and
beautiful way to show that you care about someone very special.
If you are looking for an
Atlanta flower shop offering the most beautiful
blooms of the season for any occasion, visit A Daisy A Day
(http://adaisyaday.com/). Art Gib is a freelance writer.
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Date Published: Feb 26, 2009 - 1:20 am
So, considering we only just celebrated the great day dedicated to
romance known to man--Saint Valentine's Day--there may be a few of
us that have fresh flowers perched on our desks, reminding of our
devoted sweethearts or perhaps keeping us wondering about a secret
admirer.
While it is widely accepted that a fragrant bouquet signals
admiration and affection from the giver to the receiver, many of us
do not fully appreciate how omnipresent flower arrangements have
become in our culture. Major events such as weddings and funerals
are marked by the abundance of flowers. But how did gifting them
become such a prominent tradition, and what does it all really
mean?
You may be surprised to learn that the acting of giving flowers
dates back thousands of years. History does not seem to give us a
specific era or country of origin for the custom, but ancient
Egyptian and Chinese inscriptions, among others, use floral
symbolism and ancient artistry depicts the giving of garlands or
other arrangements in various settings.
The language of flowers which has evolved over long centuries was
actually initiated during the Middle Ages, which was the high
period of courtly love. Though romance was highly idealized, the
Church and the culture placed heavy restrictions on courtship.
So the exchange of flowers on special occasions allowed lovers to
develop a sort of secret code to send messages that allowed them to
fence out suspicion and discovery. In some parts of the world, the
flower language would even be used to communicate with military
officers because they were harmless and widely understood.
The exchange of messages through flora was much more complex than
it is today. Every detail mattered--for example, if a question had
been asked, and flowers were used to formulate the response, then
the receiver would indicate their answer by which hand they used to
present the bouquet.
If they held it in their right hand, the answer to the previously
posed question was "yes," and as you can probably guess, if the
flowers were held in their left hand, the answer was "no."
Similarly, if flowers were presented upright, the message being
sent was a positive one, while if they were given upside-down, they
message was overtly bad news.
Over the course nineteenth century, several books were released on
the subject of the flower language, which helped to supercharge the
enthusiasm for flower gifting in Europe and the United States
throughout the Victorian Age.
However, during this period, the language evolved further, with
even some flowers taking on the opposite meaning of what they had
previously indicated. These changes still represent the symbolism
we recognize today.
If you need to find an
Atlanta flower shop so you can send your loved ones
a special message, be sure to check out A Daisy A Day
(http://adaisyaday.com). Art Gib is a freelance writer.
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Date Published: Feb 26, 2009 - 1:20 am