For as long as people have been honoring each other and observing life’s special events, specific flowers have been a part of every culture and tradition. Today, as always, flowers are associated with all of life’s major milestones. It is traditional to bring flowers to a new mother to celebrate the birth of a child. Gifts of flowers are frequently given during courtship. Flowers feature prominently in weddings and may be worn by a bride in her hair and are almost always carried as a bridal bouquet. Flowers are also a major component of funerals; some cultures view the number and quality of flower arrangements present at a funeral to be representative of how well-loved and important the deceased person was to his family and friends.
Various flowers have also become important symbols of many holidays and occasions. Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and Valentine’s Day all call for roses, Mother’s Day often involves buying tulips, irises and daisies for the mothers in our lives, Christmas is embodied in poinsettias, holly, mistletoe and sprays of evergreens, and Easter is represented with white lilies, tulips and crocuses. If there is one thing that is universal about humans in all cultures, it is a general love of flowers and their important role in appropriately observing special occasions.
However, despite the fact that all cultures use flowers as gifts and in their important celebrations, the meaning attached to individual flowers and flower colors varies dramatically from culture to culture. In the United States and Canada, the gift of red roses is considered a clear statement of romantic love, however in some cultures red roses would be interpreted entirely differently and possibly even offensively. Where white lilies and orchids represent innocence and purity in most western cultures, the same flowers represent death in Asian cultures and would be a highly inappropriate gift for a new mother or young woman.
The language of flowers differs from culture to culture, but the worldwide demand for fresh flowers, whether for gifts in observance of special occasions, or for decorating one’s home or office has remained constant over the centuries. Having fresh in the home or place of business sets an immediate inviting tone, and makes people feel they are in a comfortable and happy atmosphere. In Europe and in Great Britain it is common for people to have fresh flowers on the weekly shopping list along with bread, eggs and milk, as they are considered such a necessary staple in the home. And because flowers can be expensive, the presence of a beautiful fresh flower arrangement also gives the impression of prosperity and wealth. All these factors contribute to the constant and increasing demand for fresh flowers year round, though the demand is significantly higher just before major holidays and during a culture’s traditional wedding season. In answer to this demand, the floristry industry has sprung up and evolved into a full-scale world-wide trade.
Many years ago if one wished to have fresh flowers for one’s home or for a gift, he or she had two options; either to grow flowers on his or her property in a flower garden, or to visit a flower market in the nearest town on a specified day of the week. At a typical small town flower market, a person could expect to find a selection of locally grown flowers in season. Although this arrangement of frequenting a traditional flower market still exists in some places, most notably in Europe and Great Britain where flowers and flower markets are such and ingrained part of the culture, flower markets in the U.S. are not nearly as common as they were fifty years ago. Now the more common experience for most Americans looking for fresh flowers would be to visit the local florist shop. A modern florist shop features a selection of fresh flowers in season, but also offers exotic flowers from around the world, and can provide nearly any type of flower at any time of the year if given sufficient notice, though with fluctuating prices corresponding with the seasons.
This is made possible by the advent of greenhouses producing so called hot house flowers. Greenhouses are capable of forcing flower varieties to bloom and grow in areas of the world and in seasons that would normally be impossible because a greenhouse is able to maintain whatever desired temperature and moisture level necessary to allow even the most exotic flowers to thrive any time of year, making beautiful fresh flowers of all varieties available for any occasion at any time. The majority of fresh flowers in florist’s shops and even in most flower markets are grown in greenhouses and distributed by wholesale fresh flowers growers.
An additional benefit to purchasing flowers from a florist shop is the option of having a professional floral designer arrange flowers into beautiful and unique arrangements appropriate for any occasion. Florist shops and floral designers have added an elite artistry to floral displays and certain arrangement styles have become traditional and trendy for specific occasions, such as funeral sprays designed in a particular way, bridal bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, and holiday wreaths.
The design of flower arrangements, and even types of flowers used within arrangements, are highly subject to trends, and a different arrangement or flower may be the must-have flower one season and be totally out of fashion the next. Professional florists stay abreast of these trends and can offer expert advice on important flower purchases.
Another option for flower purchases today is the grocery or convenient store distribution channel. These outlets usually feature mixed bunches of flowers as well as roses, also provided by wholesale flower sellers, and are typically much less expensive than flowers purchased from a florist shop. However, the flower selection is drastically limited at these outlets and often the quality of the flowers is inferior to those found in florist shops, though not always. Buying flowers from a grocery store lacks the charm and ambiance of a flower market, but is a convenient way to pick up a bunch of fresh flowers without going out of one’s way.
By JohnnyWik
