Say It With Flowers….to a Guy?? September 11, 2008

It’s one of those time old questions…are flowers appropriate to give to a guy? Alot of woman ask themselves if guys appreciate getting flowers the way woman do, and if they do what type of flowers do they prefer? What would be acceptable, is there a “flowers for guys etiquette”? If so, what would it be?

When do you know when to give flowers? So take this situation, your brother pulled another typical guy move, breaking his leg atv’ing in the woods with buddies. You want to send him a “get well soon” message, but would he be grateful of flowers?

Survey says: He would! Guys are touched by the thought of flowers. Throughout time, the meaning of flowers has heartfelt sincerity. The gift of flowers is to show that you care, and that the recipient is an important person in your life.

An age long myth that guys don’t care for flowers is quickly dissipating from today’s society. In the past, woman would be the common recipient of flowers. This was thought to be because woman are generally more emotionally moved by the gift of flowers. Woman have long had the connotation of being more “sensitive” then men, however in view of globally changing attitudes towards expression of feelings and thoughts, men have become, in effect, more open about communicating their feelings.

With that now said, what are acceptable flowers to give a guy, and is there guidelines as to the purpose or message to be made? Through a large survey conducted, men do have trends towards certain flowers for certain occasions. Here is a great guide to use when you are thinking about giving the wonderful gift of flowers to a guy.

First question: what is your relationship with the man receiving flowers?

Second question: what message do you want to convey?

Before you start, a few words of advice:

- Avoid soft pinks and purples, depending on the size of the bouquet you are getting, try to have no more than 2-4 pink/purple flowers. Aim for a darker pink or violet.

- Do not get a friend or a co-worker red roses! They have a very powerful meaning, and may be interpreted the wrong way. Instead, if you want to give roses use orange and yellow. Orange means appreciation, enthusiasm, fascination. Yellow means joy, gladness, friendship, delight, promise of a new beginning, welcome back, remember me, “I care”. Use pink roses to say admiration, appreciation, gentleness, gladness, sweetness

- Aim for yellow, orange, blue, dark purple, red or white flowers. You can either mix two colours together, of mix them all together.

- Gift baskets are always a wonderful alternative to flowers. Chocolates, fruits and cheeses are among the favourites!

Here is an easy to use chart to help with you selection.

Occasion	Family Member	Boyfriend/ Husband	Friend	Co-worker
Congratulations/ Happy Birthday	- Lilies & daisies with 1 to 3 yellow roses - Sunflowers alone or with gerberas & delphiniums - Birds of Paradise bouquet	- Red roses mixed with Calla lilies - Stargazer lilies – alone or with one of the following: roses, snapdragons, delphiniums	- Yellow roses with lilies - Mixed bouquets with blue, red, white, yellow and orange colours. - Try and avoid pink & soft purples. 1 or 2 is fine depending on the size and colour combinations.	- A lively bouquet- Sunflowers, Snapdragons, Lilies (white, yellow or orange. Try to stay away from pinks. One or two pink flowers is acceptable) - Yellow roses
Love You/ Missing You/ Get well Soon	- Mixed bouquet of yellows, blues, reds and oranges with any combo of: snapdragons, carnations, roses (red or pink preferably), lilies, gerberas - Birds of Paradise - Orchids - Chocolate/Fruit basket	Mix it up! Stay with red and pink, mixed with dark purple or white. - Red roses and Calla lilies - Red roses or pink roses - Delphiniums & roses	- These can be alone or mixed with 1 other flower: Blue Iris, Sunflowers, Carnations, Gerberas - Orange & Red roses mixed with daisies or delphiniums- don’t have too many roses, 2- depending on the size of the bouquet is adequate - White or pink roses, mixed with mini carnations	Stay away fro red roses, they have a very powerful meaning. - Birds of Paradise or Orchid plant - Calla lilies - Stargazer lilies - White or pink roses
Because You’re You/ Thinking of You	- Orange/yellow roses with alstromerias or mini carnations - Yellow/Orange lilies & daisies (white) - Alstromerias with Delphiniums & Stargazer lilies	- Roses and blue irises - Asiatic lilies & roses - Roses mixed with 1-2 other flowers. Carnations, Gerberas, Delphiniums, Orchids are perfect	- White Asiatic lilies with Delphiniums or snapdragons - Orange or Yellow roses -Gerberas & Carnation bouquet - Dendrobium Orchids bouquet	Lilies- either Calla or Asiatic. Colours try to stay with white, orange, yellow - Plants- with 1 blooming - Fruit/chocolate basket - Carnations & Gerberas bouquet - Alstromerias bouquet
Housewarming/ Business Gift	- Blooming Plant is always perfect - Bright colourful mixture of various flowers. Anything goes here!	- Birds of Paradise - Lilies- either Calla or Asiatic. Colours try to stay with white, orange, yellow	- Blooming Plant is always perfect - Bright colourful mixture of various flowers. Anything goes here!	Blooming Plant is always perfec - Bright colourful mixture of various flowers. Anything goes here!

What’s “hot” for wedding flowers in 2008 June 25, 2008

So what’s hot in 2008 for upcoming brides to be? Let’s start off by looking at the colours monopolizing weddings in 2007, and see what 2008 has in store for us. In 2007, the “in” colours for weddings were burnt orange and brown hues. Trendsetters are forecasting slightly different colours for 2008. The trends for 2008-2009 were unveiled at the AIFD’s (American Institute of Floral Design) “The Edge of Paradise” Symposium in Palm Desert in the summer of 2007. At that time, with the input from leading floral stylists and floral product designers, they arrived at the 2008 floral forecast.
“Habitat”, now a days more people are earth conscious, being “green” was the new “in thing” for 2007, but it has become even more populate and has dominated the trend market again this year! “Habitat” provides a restful, serene and studious environment that communicates one’s ecological values, respecting the delicate balance between the Earth and its people.
“Nocturne” exudes luxury and opulence with a darker edge. This provocative, urban palette is inspired by haute couture and celebrity culture. Lustrous hues of grayed purples, plums and roses combine in overflowing arrangements that bring together deeply colored flowers with powerful silhouettes.
A tranquil, calming aura floats through “Whisper,” with neutral, hushed tones of creams, grays and blues. Stronger earth tones, such as brown and charcoal, provide a base, and a hint of dusty coral and shimmery copper add punch.
“Nomad” sees bright colours of tribal handicrafts from around the globe populate this trend, from golden oranges and saturated blues to deep fuschias and browntinged reds.
“Chinoiserie” features a midtone color palette encompassing dominant pink-toned reds as well as lighter purples and greens as complements. “Chinoiserie” offers a new take on cultured style and beauty with its exotic sophistication.

So what can brides to be organizing probably the most important day of their lives adopt to fit these new trends without breaking the bank do? Start off by cutting the expensive costs of wedding flowers! The trend among new brides is to buy wholesale flowers in bulk from online sources like Flowers Wholesale (http://flowerswholesale.ca/) and create their own arrangements for that special day. The Do It Yourself wedding is becoming more and more popular throughout the wedding industry. On average, brides spend 8% of their total wedding budget on their wedding flowers. This can mean spending up to $1,000 to $4,000 for flowers alone! Many brides adopting the Do It Yourself wedding flowers are finding it easier to adapt to the marketplace trends, while still adding their personal touch by creating their own wedding flower arrangements.

The joy of ordering wholesale flowers is that they are fresh cut, shipped directly from the grower, last much longer as they are often in transit for less time than florists’ flowers, and the best part: brides can customize their floral design and arrangement any way they please with the flowers that they want.
So brides to be, here is your chance to be “in with the times” when it comes to 2008 trends, and not spending eternity paying off that big day!