How do you express your deepest emotions without uttering a single word? One of the best answers is flowers. Flowers symbolize love, care, and compassion and carry deeper meaning. However, this thoughtful gesture hasn’t been invented recently.
The earlier history of gifting flowers goes back to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. They often used flowers for various purposes, including rituals, cultures, and traditions. These days, flowers have become universal; whether it’s the occasion of a birthday, anniversary, wedding, thanksgiving, funeral, or any other special event, it’s celebrated through flowers and accepted gracefully.
Flowers are a timeless, thoughtful gift gesture that never gets old. Here, we will comprehend the guide to gifting flowers and elaborate on how flowers can perfectly resonate with the occasion and the recipient and what is required to make them perfect as a present so that they can convey your message or feelings to the recipient. Let’s dig in.
Symbolism and Meanings of Different Types of Flowers
Whether it’s Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, New Year, or something else, every sentiment imaginable can be expressed with flowers. They can also be curated according to the occasion and its theme. The language of flowers has been recognized for centuries in many countries worldwide.
Flowers hold a special meaning for the recipient. Different flowers carry different symbols and meanings. Let’s check out the table below to understand the secret significance of flowers.
| Flower’s Name | What It Means & Symbolizes |
Chrysanthemums | Chrysanthemums generally symbolize longevity, fidelity, joy, and deep passion. Interestingly, depending on the country, it can carry different meanings and represent different things. For example, according to Victorians, they symbolize friendship and well-wishing. On the other hand, chrysanthemums are the official flower for Mother’s Day. In Belgium and Austria, they are meant to honour loved ones as memorial flowers for placing on graves. The colours also play a significant role in carrying different symbols and meanings. |
| Lavender | Lavender flowers symbolize purity, silence, grace, devotion, serenity, and calmness. It’s available in white, pink, purple, and blue-violet colours. Purple represents the colour of royalty, elegance, refinement, and luxury. This magical and mystical flower is popular both in fresh and dried forms. |
| Sunflowers | The sunflower is an amazing flower representing happiness, positivity, optimism, strength and resilience, adoration, loyalty, and longevity. It truly symbolizes the summer spirit. One interesting fact about this flower is that it is heliotropic, meaning it moves in the sun’s direction. |
| Wildflowers | Wildflowers are beautiful to look at during spring. Don’t you agree? These flowers hold a significant meaning, symbolizing freedom, unity, harmony, and the power of nature. |
Lilies | The lily flower symbolizes love, innocence, purity, fertility, and rebirth. However, its unique colours also have different meanings. For example, white lilies symbolize purity and rebirth, red ones symbolize love and passion, orange ones represent confidence and energy, yellow lilies symbolize thankfulness, joy, and friendship, and purple lilies symbolize royalty, elegance, and spirituality. |
Orchids | The appearance of orchids is as attractive as that of any other flower. However, orchids have meaning and symbolism behind them. They have various colour patterns, such as pink, white, purple, yellow, red, blue, orange, and green. Orchids usually represent innocence, beauty, prosperity, purity, hope, reverence, good luck, enthusiasm, excitement, and more. |
| Daffodil | Daffodils are wonderful flowers that symbolize luck, hope, good fortune, prosperity, rebirth, and hope. But a reminder: A single daffodil can represent misfortune! |
Hyacinth | Hyacinth flowers add a fresh scent to the environment and have different meanings and symbolism according to their colours. For example, blue hyacinths symbolize sincerity, loyalty, and fidelity; purple ones symbolize sorrow and a desire for forgiveness; pink ones symbolize joy (happy moments); red ones symbolize deep and passionate love; yellow hyacinths symbolize intense jealousy. |
| Carnation | Carnations symbolize devotion, love, and fascination. According to their specific colours, pink ones mean gratitude, white ones mean purity and good luck, red ones mean love and affection, yellow ones mean disappointment and rejection, orange means desire and blue ones mean mystery. |
Choosing the Right Flowers
Giving someone flowers can help us communicate various sentiments and feelings, from expressing thanks to saying sorry. However, some essentials should be considered so our gifted flowers can convey the message or feelings we want to share.
One way is to choose and curate the right flowers. But how do you do that? Based on what? To ensure your recipient gets the right flowers, follow the suggestions below.
| What to Do | Why |
| Occasion | Firstly, ask yourself. What’s the occasion and its significance? Is it a birthday? Anniversary? Newyear? Funeral? Or something else? Find the flower that truly resonates with the occasion. Depending on the event, you can pick the flower and curate it specially. It showcases your thoughtfulness. |
| Recipient | Secondly, you should consider who your recipient is. Think of their interests or preferences. Which flower would attract them the most? If you don’t know the answer, try knowing and choosing the flower accordingly. |
| Budget | Thirdly, determine your budget. Once the budget is fixed, it will help you curate the gift according to it, like how many flowers you will need, how much you will spend on them, and so on. |
| Seasonality | Seasonal flowers are vibrant, refreshing, and more appealing. So, another suggestion you can consider while choosing the right flower is thinking of its seasonality. It also brings a sense of authenticity and invites a colourful presence. |
| Take Note of Allergies | Flowers are thoughtful gifts that bring joy and excitement. However, you should remember that some individuals may have allergies to flowers. Try to identify the flowers they are allergic to. Be mindful and pick flowers that let your recipient enjoy their beauty without discomfort. |
Tips for Choosing The Right Flower Arrangement
Once the flower is picked, the next task is to make it look appealing and presentable. The floral arrangement must match the occasion and set a tone to make a lasting impression and brighten the recipient’s day. The following offer valuable tips for choosing the right flower arrangement.
| What to Do | Why |
| Flower Arrangement Design According to The Theme | First, detect the occasion, find a flower arrangement design accordingly, and show your creativity. If there are several flowers, separate them and then curate them creatively. Consider the flower’s shape, size, and pattern and make them come together. |
| Cut & Prepare Flowers | Use sharp scissors to remove all the extra leaves and petals from the stems. Also, if anything unnecessary remains, cut it off as well. Now, put the flowers in a vase. |
| Prepare The Vase for Presentation | Choosing the vase and preparing it for the arrangement is important to ensure the flowers fit the position. Which flower vessel would perfectly fit the flowers? Find out and get it ready for presentation. |
| Add Focal & Filler Flowers | Focal flowers are those with an unusual colour or texture. Simply put, they are eye-catching flowers in the arrangement. On the other hand, filler flowers are used to fill around the focal flowers. Balance the flower nicely and make sure it looks attractive and pleasing. |
| Finish The Arrangement | Before displaying or giving to your recipient, look closely to see if anything is missing. Pour water as needed in the vase to keep the flowers hydrated and refreshing, and spritz the flowers with light water. |
Caring for Fresh Flowers
Flowers are as always adorable and wonderful as a present. But as time passes, the picked-out flowers gradually dry up. To make it lasting and fresh as new, you can take some necessary steps, ensuring it’s still fresh flowers. Some ideas have been suggested below.
| What To Do | Why |
Keep Them Hydrated | Make sure the flowers are hydrated. Change the water and remember not to overpour it. Keeping the flowers dehydrated prevents bacterial growth and ensures they look fresh. Water them as you would a plant. |
Prune & Trim | Pruning the flowers means removing plant parts, including branches, buds, leaves, bloom, and roots, and trimming the flowers means cutting away dead branches or stems to increase growth. Pruning and trimming can help the flower remain fresh. |
Keep The Flowers Away from Heat & Bright Light | Keeping the flowers under heat and bright light may cause them to mature and slowly die. So, it’s best to avoid heat and bright light. Instead, keep the cut flowers in a cool spot to last as long as possible. |
Flower Delivery
There are a multitude of ways you can deliver flowers. Some are suggested below.
| How | Brief |
Local Flower Shop | Many reputable local flower shops offer delivery services. If you ask them to curate the gift, give them the recipient’s address; they will do the hard work for you and deliver it to the giftee. |
Online Flower Delivery Service | Nowadays, numerous online flower services are available everywhere. If you are a busy individual but don’t want to miss the opportunity to celebrate the occasion, consult with an online service, and the flower bouquet will be delivered to the destination. |
Gifting Flowers for Any Occasion
Flowers can be unique and powerful gifts that express our untold emotions. They signify more than beauty and elegance. Knowing the meaning of flowers can help us be thoughtful and creative and give us ideas for matching them with occasions.
| Occasions | Suggested Flowers |
Birthday | Birthdays are a common occasion; no matter whose birthday it is, you can brighten someone’s day with a bouquet easily. Tulips, lilies, carnations, sunflowers, orchids, marigolds, and other flowers can nicely resonate with this event and make the individual feel special. Instead of picking up one flower, you pick multiple and make an arrangement. |
| Anniversary | Anniversaries are special occasions, and we celebrate them for different reasons. Flowers such as carnations, cosmos, sunflowers, roses, daisies, freesia, clematis, daffodils, dahlia, aster, lilies, gladiolus, and many more can be amazing for this event. For your partner, friend, or co-worker, some flowers in a bouquet can make the other person feel special. |
| Holiday | Holidays are a time full of joy, togetherness, and traditions. If you mean to give someone flowers on this occasion, it’s a wonderful idea. The gifts suggested for holidays usually include poinsettias, Christmas roses, carnations, holly, amaryllis, delphinium, cyclamen, and others. |
| Wedding | Flowers convey well wishes during weddings. Suppose you have been invited to one and thinking about which flowers to pick. In that case, the suggested flowers for the wedding will be rose, ranunculus, peony, hydrangea, dahlia calla lily, gardenia, orchid, protea, lilac, and many more. Find a flower bouquet that resonates with this special event and give it to the newly married couple. |
| Get Well Soon | When a friend, coworker, or family member is sick, you want to stand by their side and show your sympathy and well wishes with nice gestures; in such conditions, you can think of flowers that will convey your words. Flowers that can carry your ‘get well soon’ message are sunflowers, daisies, peonies, orchids, lilies, and many more. |
Alternative Flower Gifting Ideas
Flowers are great gifts to consider but have some drawbacks. They require a lot of care and attention. Sometimes, they are expensive but don’t last long. Moreover, flowers are sensitive, so sometimes you can’t be sure if they will arrive in good condition.
But no worries. I am not suggesting that you do not buy flowers. But considering the hurdles, you can still be thoughtful and find alternative gifts to celebrate the occasion. Remember the recipient’s preferences, interests, and occasion so your chosen gift can resonate well. A few alternative gift suggestions are given below.
- Books
- Journals
- Bed Time Essentials
- Trave or Tote Bag
- Inspirational Wall Paint
- Chocolates
- Candles
- Gift Cards
- Subscription Box
- Photo Frame
- Wine
- Self-Care Gift Basket and many more.
Smart Shopping Strategies
Shopping doesn’t need to mean you have to break the bank. When you want to purchase something, with a strategic approach and a keen eye for opportunities, you can shop smart and save money without compromising on the quality of your purchase. How you can make it happen has been suggested below.
| How | Why |
Make A Shopping List | Firstly, write down all the items you need to buy. This will help you focus on your priorities and avoid purchasing unnecessary items. |
| Create A Budget | Next, you should determine the budget. Knowing your limit can help you avoid impulsive purchasing and stick to the plan. |
| Compare Prices | To find the best deals, compare prices, Nowadays, because of the Internet, comparing prices has become easier. Check them on different platforms, both online and in-store. |
| Take Advantage of Sales & Promotion | When it comes to shopping, taking advantage of sales and promotions can save you a lot of money. Use different sources to stay informed about upcoming deals. |
| Use Coupons & Discount Codes | Using coupons & discount codes can also contribute to smart shopping. You can find them in newspapers, online coupon sites, or directly from retailers. |
Utilize Cash Back & Rewards Programs | Many credit cards and apps offer cash back or rewards for purchases. Using these programs and utilizing the opportunities, you can earn discounts or cash back on your regular spending. |
Be Mindful of Band Alternatives | Brand values are common, but you should consider generic or store-brand alternatives. Sometimes, these products offer the same quality as brand-name items but at a lower price. |
Conclusion
Whether it’s Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, New Year, or something else, flowers can express every sentiment imaginable. The language of flowers has been recognized for centuries in many countries worldwide. They’re a thoughtful gift gesture that brings joy and excitement as the gift giver picks them out with the recipient in mind.
Giving someone flowers can help us communicate various sentiments and feelings, from expressing thanks to saying sorry. They hold a special meaning for the recipient. Different flowers carry different symbols and meanings.
Finding the meaning and symbols of flowers, choosing the right one, curating flower arrangements, and keeping them fresh are all ideas that can help you when gifting flowers to someone. Implement these ideas into reality and surprise the giftee with your mindfulness.
FAQ
How are you supposed to gift flowers?
First, find the meaning and symbols behind flowers; second, choose the right flower that will resonate with the occasion and the recipient; third, make the flower arrangements appealing; fourth, keep them fresh; fifth, deliver the flowers.
How do you present flowers as a gift?
Identify the occasion and the recipient, choose the right flower, make them presentable, and then give them to the recipient to brighten their day.
What is the gesture of giving flowers?
Flowers are meaningful gestures that hold many special meanings. They can express love, care, respect, gratitude, appreciation, well-wishes, and gratitude in tangible ways.
How do you react when someone gives you flowers?
Thank the sender, let them know you appreciate their generosity and thoughtfulness, and tell them how much you love the gifted bouquet.
What is the true meaning of giving flowers?
When flowers are given to someone, they represent and express the giver’s feelings toward the recipient, symbolizing love, compassion, gratitude, and affection.
