Mother’s Day is coming right up, which means it’s another occasion for flowers.
If you’re clueless about what flowers to get, or have never thought about floriography (the language of flowers), read on to score the perfect bouquet for your mum.
To get answers to kickstart our floral journey, I interviewed Serene from B1 Florist. Despite her young age, Serene has a wealth of experience. At just 18 years old, she took over the florist business from her previous boss who decided to retire.
Serene shares that carnations and roses are among the most popular flowers for mothers, given their strong symbolism and rich meaning.
In general, carnations represent fascination, distinction and love, with each colour variation carrying additional layers of meaning. While white carnations represent pure love and red ones symbolise affection and admiration, pink carnations carry the greatest significance.
Tracing back to one of its origin stories, pink carnations are believed to have first appeared from the Virgin Mary’s tears, and today represent a mother’s undying love.
Roses are another unmistakable expression of love. If you wish to convey great respect and strong admiration for your mums, red roses will do the job. In contrast, pink roses express gentle gratitude and grace.
If possible, request for buds which are at different stages of blooming. While a fully bloomed rose bouquet looks beautiful at the moment of purchase, buying roses with buds that have not yet opened will allow your mum to enjoy the roses through the different stages of blooming!
The Season to Send Flowers
While you can’t go wrong with carnations and roses, seasonal flowers like peonies, hydrangeas and tulips add a unique twist to your bouquet.
Layered with crimped petals, peony flowers boast a lush and beautiful look. Peonies are greatly desired in Chinese culture as they symbolise nobility, honour and wealth.
Pink peonies offer a tinge of romance, while deep red ones express respect and prosperity. However, some people believe that sending an odd number of blooms signals bad luck, so be sure to choose an even number for your mum!
Another seasonal flower is the hydrangea, which blooms in summer. In Japan where the flower originated, hydrangeas are linked to gratitude and apologies.
Pink hydrangeas express romance, heartfelt emotions and love, while blue ones signal regret or rejection. White rounded petals are known as a symbol of purity and grace, but can also mean bragging or boasting.
Since hydrangeas express such a large range of emotions and messages, it is important to pair these flowers carefully.
The tulip season runs from March to the mid May, so you can consider gifting a bouquet of beautiful tulip flowers for Mother’s Day. Tulips have been tied to Turkish and Persian love tales, and today they express perfect love.
Pink tulips are a symbol of happiness, care and attachment, while red ones are stronger indications of love. While white tulips represent purity and respect and are usually sent as an apology or to express forgiveness.
While these seasonal flowers offer a fancy twist to the classic carnation or rose bouquet, do expect these flowers to be slightly more expensive. A 6-stalk tulip bouquet will set you back by around $70, while even one stalk of hydrangea costs $65.
Filler flowers are important too – one of the most common being baby’s breaths.
Along with these multicoloured sprigs of baby’s breath, eustoma and matthiola can also be used to complement the main flowers in a bouquet.
If you’d like a little something extra to pair it with, many florists offer champagne and wine as well.
How to Make Flowers Last Longer?
After buying the flowers, the goal is to make them last for as long as possible. With proper care, fresh flowers like roses can last up to a week, while carnations can continue to look fresh for two to three weeks.
Here are a few simple tips to help your flowers maintain their beauty for as long as possible:
- Remove dead or loose leaves and lower leaves below water line to avoid bacterial rot
- Cut stems at an angle to facilitate better water intake
- Change water every day and recut stems every few days
- Avoid placing the flowers in direct sunlight or near other sources of heat
- Supply your flowers with nutrients in the form of flower food
If the last tip surprised you, you’re not alone! Many people aren’t aware that apart from water, flowers need food too!
Once the flowers are cut, they are deprived of food and nutrients provided by the mother plant prior to harvesting. To encourage natural blooming and retain the flower’s colour and scent, flower food may be added to the water in the vase.
Flower food usually comes in powder or liquid form, and provides nutrients to the flowers while maintaining the pH level of the water. And it isn’t expensive either — 3 packets of flower food costs just a dollar!
If you’re into DIY, it’s also possible to make your own flower food. Popular ingredients include sugar, lemon juice and some bleach to discourage fungi and bacteria growth.
If you wish to preserve the flowers beyond a few weeks, you can choose to press or dry flowers to be used as house decor.
To find out more about B1 Florist and place your order, click here.