Taking the ‘Ugly’ Out of Flowers
I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
va~Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Afternoon on a Hill”
Flowers can symbolize love, thank you, sorry, and goodbye yet behind this sentimental gesture is an extensive global supply chain that is often anything but beautiful.
The cut flower industry is worth over $40 billion dollars, the majority of which are imported from Latin America if you are living in the United States. According to Amy Stewart’s book Flower Confidential, an Ecuadorian flower farmer earns $150/month, totaling less than 4 cents per rose sold. This is on top of the extensive chemicals used to manipulate the plants including pesticides, herbicides, and “growth” sprays. The cut flower industry is anything but personal, and has a significant impact for a one-time use product.
Here are five things to consider when giving flowers to the green at heart:
Plants
Bouquets can be beautiful, yet during the winter months local, organic, or fair trade flowers can be hard to come by. By giving the gift of a plant, you can provide them with something to nurture, that can have positive effects on their health, and hopefully something to add to their spring garden! These will last longer than cut flowers, even with the miracle grow they come with these days, and can beautify their living space. Keep in mind though that not everyone with a green heart has a green thumb, so for those of us with black thumbs perhaps there are other options.
Plant -able Cards
Perhaps one of my favorite ideas that has sprouted up (pun intended) over the years, are cards that can be shredded and then watered, turning into indoor wildflower gardens. This gives it an element of surprise since you never know what will pop-up and makes the card not only compostable, but an instant nutrient. Flower card artisans each have their own approach, so make sure that the flowers are native to your region, then plant away.
The Symbol of the Flower: Not only roses
Cultures have developed special relationships with their native plants. Roses, tulips and carnations make up the majority of cut flower sales in the US, but what do these flowers symbolize? In some regions of China, the carnation symbolizes marriage, while in Western cultures the rose is connected to love, psychic powers, and protection. You can make your gift more personal by not only selecting based on local, seasonal, organic, and native flowers but also what the plant itself signifies. Here are a few ideas taken from China and the Western World, these resources are based more on suggestion than extensive research.
| Plant | Symbolism | Culture |
| Apricot | Beauty, Beautiful woman, Spring, Good Fortune | China |
| Bloodroot | Love, Protection, Purification | Western World |
| Gardenia | Love, Peace, Healing, Spirituality | Western World |
| Passion Flower | Peace, Sleep, Friendship | Western World |
| Peach Petals | State of an intense trance of love | China |
| Tangerine | Abundant happiness | China |
| Willow Branch | Able to bend/adapt but not break | China |
| Violet | Luck, Wishes, Lust, and Faith | Western World |
To learn more, please follow these links:
China’s Plant Symbology
Western World’s Plant Symbology
Eco-Friendly Plants
As mentioned earlier, selecting flowers or plants from an eco-friendly perspective can include the following combination of factors:
- In season
- Local
- Organic
- Fair-Trade
- Transferable to your own garden
Of course come spring time, any flowers cut from your own garden meet much of this criteria, so snip and then compost away.
Flowers are Dead to Me
Now for some of us, the thought of spending money to show someone that we care isn’t our chosen route. There are plenty of remedies beyond flowers, but hopefully this will help when flowers feel appropriate.
And now to leave you with a little sarcastic humor:
Why do people give each other flowers? To celebrate various important occasions, they’re killing living creatures? Why restrict it to plants? “Sweetheart, let’s make up. Have this deceased squirrel.”
~The Washington Post
For more information on the cut flower industry, I highly recommend Amy Stewart’s Flower Confidential. Here is a link to her fact sheet with information, statistics, and tips for maintaining cut flowers . She has also printed other books about floriculture and other garden-related pieces that can be found on her website.
Comments
Thanks for sharing, very well written article
Well written article. With Valentine’s Day coming up, this should help out many that present flowers to their dear ones.
Till then,
Jean
A plant with a nice red or pink bow does fine! And they can live so much longer than flowers. We have a plant someone gave us 16 years ago as a gift and it is still alive.
What a wonderful suggestion!
Bonus points if its a plant that has a use– like Aloe plants or spice plants like mint.
You can just give candy and forget the flowers all together. Everyone loves candy – organic chocolate is REALLY good!
Well it’s no-brainer for me! I don’t give flowers anyway. I’m a firm believer in going out and doing something fun without the conventional consumerism attached.
Interesting post about flowers and thanks for information about different flowers and culture.
Flowers stand for love, forgiveness and purity. Good information about which plants connect with culture.
I love the quote about the deceased squirrel…so true. Giving cut flowers as a gift certainly is a waste. It is surprisingly that such a temporary gift caught on so much over the years.
Glad you all enjoyed it, including the squirrel quote. I hope it helped for Valentine’s Day ideas as well grievances and other flower-filled occasions like Mothers Day. Flowers can be a beautiful thing both physically and symbolically.
Michael Pollan’s earlier book “The Botany of Desire” takes a different look at flowers, specifically tulips, and humans obsession with beauty. Its an interesting read, so I highly recommend it. The book connects our relationship with plants as an expression of human nature.