Florists and Flowers: What Do They Mean and What Do They Symbolise?

The first flower shop opened in 1851, in the United States, but the use of flowers and their arrangement can be dated as far back as the ancient Egyptians where there are recorded illustrations showing that they regularly used flowers for decoration.

It is thought that flowers have long had religious significance with strong connotations being attached to types of flowers, some of these are still thought to be true today. We will often send flowers as a sign of romantic interest or appreciation. Over time, this has become widely known, especially across Europe, where they have been recognised in literature and modern culture to express a language told through flowers and their meanings.

What Is a Florist?

A florist is concerned with the production, selling and trade of flowers. Included in this will be the styling, arrangement and displaying of flowers with the intention of sale or delivery. For a lot of florists, they will cater to each customer and find the perfect bouquet of flowers to deliver the best message to the recipient.

A florist can either sell in bulk and provide flowers for supermarkets and such shops alike, however, they can also own and run their own store that produces and sells flowers. The latter is more likely to supply for particular events, such as the following:

• Weddings
• Funerals
• Holidays
• Parties
• Birthdays
• Valentines Day

The type of arrangements that they sell will be aimed at delivering a particular message. For example, a florist might produce a rose bouquet for valentines day since roses are symbolic of romance, love, beauty and courage.

Floristry is a huge industry and they become extremely popular around holidays, such as:

• Mother's Day
• Easter
• Valentine's Day

It is estimated that over 250 million roses are produced and ready to be sold each year on Valentine's day.

Custom Flower Arrangements

Quite often, florists will specialise in custom arrangements, meaning that they will create a bouquet of flowers that are personal to you or the individual you are sending them to. You are able to choose and decide the flowers that are included within the arrangement, making them customised.

There is typically a process involved with this, such as:

Choosing your arrangement and flowers

You are able to go to a florist and pick out the flowers that you would like to be included within your arrangement, and whilst this might be one of the most popular ways to do this, you can also pick from an online selection, providing the website allows you to do so. Another alternative is to call the florist of your choice and discuss the flowers in more detail so that you are able to understand their meanings and why they should or should not be included.

Choosing an arrangement is deciding the way that the flowers are going to be organised. Some examples of this are wreaths and baskets, but each florist will offer a range of different designs. Some of these are catered toward a specific event and you might want to pick your arrangement based on tradition.

Creation and Delivery

Once you have agreed on an arrangement with your florist, they will proceed to create the custom design. You are also able to add notes, ribbons and cards alongside your flowers, which they will also proceed to complete.

It is a common feature for florists to deliver their arrangements on your behalf, but you can have them delivered to you if you would prefer. You are able to leave delivery instructions and this can help the florist to deliver the arrangement with specific intentions, such as taking them to an office or someone's home.

Common Types of Flower Arrangements

There isn't just one type of flower arrangement that you can customise. There are different styles that will produce a different look and there is quite often a style that will match a particular use. There are plenty of different ways that you can style the flowers, after all, they are custom, however, there are some common styles. For example, the following styles are very popular.

Centrepiece

This is the most common of the arrangements and can suit any occasion. They are a relatively small selection of flowers that are typically no bigger than five by five inches. They are used for placement in the middle of a table but can be placed wherever you ideally feel they suit.

Bud vase

A bud vase is a very minimalistic arrangement and involves a vase that is intended for only one stem, or a very limited number of flowers. They can sometimes be used to accompany a bigger arrangement, but they can be used to make a statement all on their own.

Monochromatic

This type of arrangement involves using only one colour to create an impact. This can involve different shades of the same colour. The layout of this will incorporate all elements of tint, shade and tone.

Materials used

Whilst the materials used will be done so by the florist, it is important that you understand what materials go into constructing a flower arrangement. It is worth noting that not all florists will use a vase and it is becoming increasingly more common to use floral foam.

Floral foam is used to hold the flowers in place and provide them with consistent access to water. It will typically be in the form of a block and cut to the desired shape, this will then be soaked in water and the stems of the flowers will be stuck into the foam.

Another important material is the flowers themselves. You are going to need primary and secondary flowers. Primary flowers are considered to be the dominant flowers within the arrangement. They are flowers such as roses, poppies, lilies and tulips. Secondary flowers are those that are responsible for filling the gaps. These can be plants such as ivy, baby's breath and marguerites. They fill out the arrangement.

If you are wanting to make your own floral arrangements, you can find floral foam below.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Floral-Foam/s?k=Floral+Foam

You are also going to need some other essential materials, such as clear tape, flower food, green tape, wire and secateurs.

Flowers and Their Meanings

If you are wanting to create custom flower arrangements, then we have gathered a list of popular flowers and what they mean. This can encourage you to use them within your arrangement. Knowing what your flowers mean can give them personalised messages and make them mean that much more.

Flower meaning - Tulip

Tulips are an incredibly popular flower. They are bright, colourful and are overall a very pretty flower. Tulips came from central Asia and originally grew as wildflowers. In the 16th century, tulips were brought over to Europe and over time they have become symbolic of the following themes.

Deep Love - One of the most popular meanings behind tulips is their representation of deep love. It is thought that tulips are a great flower to give to someone if you are wanting to express a deep, unconditional love for someone close to you.

Rebirth - A lot of flowers will have connotations to rebirth, but tulips specifically convey this message. They bloom at the beginning of spring, symbolising a sense of rebirth and regrowth. It would be ideal to include tulips in your custom flower arrangement for a new life, such as birth or a new experience.

Purity and forgiveness - White tulips, in particular, are thought to hold representations of forgiveness and purity. If you are wanting to send an apology in the form of flowers, white tulips would be a good choice.

Happiness - Yellow tulips are thought to represent happiness. Yellow itself is a happy colour and the combination of yellow and tulips is intended to bring feelings of positivity.

Affection - Pink tulips are thought to represent feelings of affection and care. They are a great flower to send to people who mean a lot to you but aren't exactly a lover.

Flower meaning - Violet

Violets are thought to be symbolic of everlasting beauty and love, but they also bring in elements of innocence, modesty, faith and remembrance. It is also thought that there are medicinal properties as they contain antioxidants.

Flower meaning - Hydrangea

Hydrangeas have an overall meaning of gratitude, elegance and beauty. However, each colour does carry an individual meaning that makes the creation of a custom flower arrangement more personal.

White - White hydrangeas are symbolic of conceit, purity and grace.

Blue - Blue hydrangeas are representative of apology and you can use them to signify an apology to those who are receiving them.

Purple - Purple hydrangeas are a great symbol of pride and understanding.

Pink - As with many other pink flowers, pink hydrangeas are representative of romance and true emotion. They are a great flower to send to someone who is significant in your life.

Flower meaning - Marigold

A marigold will have connotations of positivity, great energy and emotion. They are bright flowers that really encompass the meaning of their yellow colour. However, based on cultural differences, they are also thought to carry meanings of jealousy, grief and despair.

They also have different individual meanings based on their colour, as outlined below.

Red - As with other red flowers, they are symbolic of love and passion.

Yellow - It is thought that yellow marigolds are associated with positivity, happiness, joy and luck.

Orange/Red - These flowers will have red and orange hues, combining the emotions of love and romance.

Flower meaning - Roses

Roses are one of the most popular flowers that are included within flower arrangements and quite often are associated with feelings of love, romance and passion. It is quite common that people will send roses as an expression of love. Different coloured roses will convey different meanings.

Red - Red roses are traditional and symbolise romance, love and beauty.

Yellow - Yellow roses are symbolic of friendship, and joy and represent the start of a new beginning.

Orange - An orange rose will symbolise interest, desire and sexuality.

Pink - Pink roses are a sign of gratitude and appreciation.

White - A white rose represents innocence and purity.

Flower meaning - Chrysanthemum

Different places will attach different meanings to this flower. In some places, it symbolises life and rebirth, but in other places, particularly in Europe, it symbolises sympathy. The colour of the chrysanthemum will also affect the meaning of its symbolism. They have an overall reaching meaning of love, longevity and happiness. 

Red - Red chrysanthemums are symbolic of love and passion.

White - White chrysanthemums represent love and loyalty.

Yellow - Yellow chrysanthemums symbolise suffering love, loss and disappointment.

Flower meaning - Sunflower

Sunflowers are a very popular sunflower and they are widely thought to be symbolic of happiness, hopefulness, honesty, peace, devotion and admiration. Due to their physically symbolic representation of the sun and the nature of their colour being mainly yellow, they are thought to hold big happy images.

There are also heavily associated spiritual meanings to sunflowers, such as:

• Faith
• symbol of God's love
• Self-respect

The spiritual meanings of sunflowers extend far out beyond the typical meanings of flowers, making sunflowers a great addition to your custom flower arrangement.

Flower meaning - Zinnia

Each colour of this flower will convey a different meaning, but Zinnia's have an overall meaning of friendship, endurance and long-lasting love and affection. The following colours have the following meaning.

Purple - This colour Zinnia is representative of long-lasting affection.

Yellow - A yellow Zinnia represents daily remembrance.

Flower meaning - Poppy

Poppies have very powerful symbolism and have gained strong meaning in modern society. The most recognised symbolism is that of peace to death, remembrance and sacrifice. Within Christianity, the red poppy symbolises the blood of Christ and is a homage to his sacrifice. In a more common way, poppies are symbolic of the sacrifice made by the fallen soldiers in World War I and II. 

Poppies are placed on the graves of soldiers to remember their lives and honour them.

Flower meaning - Lily

Lilies have different meanings, but the ultimate message is that of purity and fertility. They are beautiful flowers and they are associated with rebirth. A lily's meaning will differ depending on its colour.

White - A white lily represents purity, rebirth and commitment. 

Red - A red lily represents love and passion.

Orange - An orange lily will be symbolic of confidence and energy.

Pink - A pink lily represents love, femininity and admiration.