Interesting Information on Fresh Cut Flowers

Blooms of fresh-cut flowers have been adding sentiments to our lives for ages. From worshipping God to decorating homes and parties, flowers are needed everywhere to add natural aesthetics to the atmosphere. The flowering decoration is one ingredient in decoration that is used for a very long time and can never get old. You can use flowers to enhance the beauty of the event, or for expressing emotions like love, happiness and gratitude. But, the decoration style and type of flowers largely depends on the occasion. Be it any occasion, from surprising your friend on a birthday with vibrant bouquet delivery, celebrating the joy of togetherness on an anniversary with roses, or offering condolences at a funeral with lilies and daisies, flowers have always been offered an expression of emotions that words don't always easily convey. 

Language of Flowers

We may be unsure when it comes to choosing the right flowers for various situations. For that, the language of flowers known as Floriography was introduced in the Victorian era, when flowers are given meanings and Floriography came into practice in traditional cultures throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. During the 19th century, floriography rose in Victorian England and the United States. Gifts of blooms, plants, and specific floral arrangements were sent as a coded message through which the sender could express his feelings which could not be spoken openly in Victorian society. 

In today’s era, this language of flowers is still used since fresh-cut flowers not only add sentiments to the occasion but are a great way to add natural freshness to the air. 

Flowers by Occasions

Learning the language of flowers can make us more confident in picking the right flowers for our occasions. Here are some occasions attributed to different flowers.

Wedding:

Red roses and peonies symbolize passionate love and affection, a happy marriage, prosperity and good fortune are popular choices for wedding bouquets due to their fresh colors and fragrance. Marigold is another most popular flower when it comes to weddings in India as well as in most parts of the subcontinent. Marigold are considered auspicious and are traditional favorites due to their vibrant colors - yellow and orange and both are a favorite among people to be used in weddings.

Birthday Blooms: 

Yellow roses symbolizing friendship are popular surprises when accompanied by a birthday cake. In addition to yellow roses, Jasmines Forget-me-nots and Geraniums add grace, elegance and the feel of true friendship.

Christmas Celebration:

Poinsettias especially Red poinsettias and Winter jasmines symbolize purity, modesty and gift from God, Christmas decorations with these flowers will bring a festive feel to your home by complementing natural winter greenery like your Christmas tree.

Mother’s Day: 

Dwarf sunflowers, Red and Yellow tulips are a great choice to announce gratitude and immense love to your mother on Mother’s day. Popular Mother's Day bouquets are made up of tulips, roses, lilies and orchids and spring bouquets with mixed blooms. 

Special Occasion of Celebrations:

Congratulatory flowers add cheerfulness to special occasions such as a job promotion, wedding anniversary, Engagements or Graduation. These occasions can be filled with flowers with the symbolism of certain feelings by choosing the right meaning attached to them. While Camellia reflects excellence and finesse, Daffodils signify truth and forgiveness, Orchids add to love, beauty charm and strength.

Spring flowers for Easter:

Easter brings with it the traditional Easter egg hunt, pastel and vibrant colors of the spring season which are used in the home decor. Lots of Flowers are associated with spring and Easter festivals and these flowers have been given special meanings by Christians to help them celebrate Easter. Whether they are lovely lilies which are often white and represent a sign of Purity and Goodness or Passion flowers that have been given lots of different meanings for Easter over the years, you can spruce up your home décor with these festive cut flowers into beautiful arrangements and centerpieces for your Easter party.

Spooky bouquets for Halloween:

Get into the spirit of the Halloween season with Black, Red and Purple Roses. These will add to the scream of the Halloween celebration! 

Why include cut flowers in your Home decoration?

We saw how flowers can add to the feelings of occasions, but how about we keep them at home also? Flowers are known to add freshness to the air and have amazing benefits for your home. Let’s look at some reasons for having flowers included in your home decoration.

1. Flowers act as a filter in the air:

Fresh flowers not only improve the smell in a room, but it is surprising to know that some of them can actually filter and clean the air of the room too. 

According to studies, some flowering plants like Peace lilies, gerberas and bromeliads can act as air filters and help to remove harmful toxins from the air. Not only this, they are known to improve a night’s sleep, as they give off large amounts of oxygen. 

2.   Aroma therapeutic power of Flowers:

 Flowers like roses are often chosen for their scents, but did you know they can also help improve people’s moods by maintaining a relaxing atmosphere? That’s why they are known for their aroma therapeutic powers. So it’s not only that they look fresh, they freshen the mood and atmosphere as well.

3. Flowers for interior design: 

 Flowers can add to the beauty of your home. You can compliment the whole interior feel of your home by choosing the kind of flowers that match your personality and the styles you wish to achieve in your space. They can be added to create a mood for your home since they come in different shapes, sizes and colours.

4. Flowers to relax better: 

A study by Raanaas, Evensen, Rich, Sjostrom, and Patil discovered that flowers could even improve your cognitive performance if they were present in your workspace. Adding a view of flowers in your workspace can help you to physically de-stress and relax better.

What makes a Cut Flower Good?

A Cut Flower should have the following criteria before you put them in your vase -

• A cut flower should be fresh
• A cut Flower should be appealing and beautiful.
• A cut Flower should have a fresh and sweet fragrance.
• A cut Flower should be long stemmed.
• A cut Flower should have an extended vase life.
  

How to keep your cut flowers fresh?

It is very important to understand the science behind caring for cut flowers before we start to keep them in our homes. The first thing that matters is maintaining their freshness. To make Cut Flowers last longer, we consciously have to make sure that they are quickly placed in water to prevent them from wilting, otherwise, they will start to lose the strength in their stems.

It is known that cut stems should be placed in water immediately, as air rapidly moves into the water-conducting tissues and plugs the cells. That is why a Cut Flower that has been out of water for more than a few minutes should have a small portion of the lower stem cut off so that water moves up freely when the stem is returned to the water. Cuts can be made underwater to assure that no air enters the stem. Further, care of your cut flowers can be enhanced by the following tips-

• Invest in cleaning your vase clean to reduce the growth of microorganisms.
• Condition your flowers by cutting all green and woody stems at a 45-degree angle. This will prevent the stem from sitting flat in the bottom of the vase and creates a large surface area to ensure maximum water absorption.
• Refresh your flowers by regularly changing the water of the vase
• Ensure that Cut flowers are never put near fresh fruits, as the production of ethylene gas by the fruits will shorten the flowers' life. 
• Feed your flowers with floral preservatives which can help increase the life of Cut Flowers, which is nothing but a complex mixture of sucrose (sugar), an acidifier - an inhibitor of microorganisms, and a respiratory inhibitor.
• Always clean the flower vase or container to aid the floral preservative in slowing down the growth of microorganisms around the cut flowers.
• Let the cut flowers get a good amount of ventilation.
• Remove all the leaves on the stems of the Cut Flowers below the water surface to prevent their deterioration
• Place the cut flowers in a cool location for an hour or two since Cut Flowers when placed in cool temperatures lose less water comparatively.
• Keep Cut Flowers away from hot or cold air drafts and hot spots like radiators, direct heat, television sets, etc.
• Check the water level of the vase daily and add water and necessary preservatives to the vase when needed.

Some common cut flowers used for bouquets and flower arrangements

Whether it’s your home or an occasion, a proper flower arrangement is very necessary, especially when making it the center of attraction. They may act as a fabulous gift, add freshness and mood to the occasion and make people smile with their natural and beautiful aura. Hence, it’s a good practice to include fresh cut flowers or a flower arrangement when decorating the space to bring cheer, life and positivity to the surroundings. 

A flower arrangement is typically an art of organizing and grouping plant materials such as flowers, foliage, twigs, etc. together to achieve harmony of form, color and texture.

Some common flowers used in bouquets and flower arrangements are listed below:

Daffodils:

Daffodils happen to be one of the most commonly used types of flowers in bouquets as they stay fresh for more days and do not wilt away instantly, provided that you change the vase water daily. They are available in varieties and that is why the supply of Daffodil flowers bouquet is known to be higher and they are readily gifted on special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

Rose:

One of the most common flowers that are found in bouquets is the rose. The reasons why rose flowers are used in bouquets commonly are due to their availability, beauty and fragrance. Roses are available in different colors and these colors behold different meanings. While the red rose bouquet is perfect for confessing love, a bouquet of yellow roses is in demand to show friendship.

Gerbera:

Gerbera is common due to its availability in different colors. Therefore, gerberas are used by florists to create colorful bouquets for various occasions. 

Peony:

Peonies are known for their soft and gentle look. The different shades of peonies are used to create attractive bouquets which can be gifted to couples for wishing them a happy married life since they symbolize romance, fortune and prosperity.