As we visit friends and family over the holiday season, it’s always nice to take along a gift.
There are, of course, many options, like a bottle of wine or a specialty food item.
A bouquet of flowers, however, is one of the most meaningful and appreciated.
Ever since the dark days of COVID-19, flowers have become the new "hug." They evoke a sense of happiness, and they bring a connection to nature.
I love the fact that Millennial folks are growing their own cut flower gardens, even in small spaces. They love having their own source of cut flowers to enjoy in their homes and also to share as gifts with friends and neighbours.
As our gardens are now dormant until spring, we are fortunate to have so many local, high-quality cut flower growers here in B.C.
For that matter, they are now exporting cut flowers to other provinces and to the United States, and their selection is amazing, ranging from roses, orchid stems, chrysanthemums, alstroemerias, lilies, gerbera daisies and fragrant stocks to Ilex berries and skimmia flowers. Because of all their innovation and use of technology, their carbon footprint is quite low.
If you are considering a gift of flowers, there are a few things you may want to keep in mind.
The first is the lasting quality, especially in our warm, dry houses at this time of the year. Most cut flowers will deliver a week to ten days of enjoyment, while others can last for weeks.
Always try to purchase flowers which are on the tight side and just beginning to open.
Today, chrysanthemums are spectacular, both the spray type with multiple flowers and the single stem disbuds.
They are available in so many new colours and various flower forms. Alstroemerias come in a wide range of colours and are noted for their long-lasting appeal. Tight lilies, both the colourful Asiatics and the fragrant Orientals, also last well. Roses are classy, and the spray forms, with their multiple smaller buds, have exceptional lasting qualities. Carnations, too, offer multi-flowered elegance.
I love wax flowers with their masses of tiny blossoms that add a nice touch to any bouquet. Berry stems, like hypericum, also hang in there very well.
Fragrance is an important consideration in any bouquet.
Oriental lilies, freesias and Polianthes tuberosa will never disappoint. Eucalyptus has also become a favourite because of its unique perfume.
At this time of the year, accessorizing bouquets with perfumed greens, such as small branches of soft white pine, silver fir or incense cedar, will add a pleasing forest scent.
Your gift of flowers will be a much-appreciated bouquet of beauty and perfume to be enjoyed, possibly for weeks!
