He loves me, He loves me not 2012-02-07

Remember this fun little children’s game played with the pedals of daisies? Whether it’s the carefully pulled bouquet out of your garden presented to you by your child, roots and dirt still attached, to your first corsage to your bridal bouquet, flowers and love are completely intertwined. With Valentine’s day a week away, everybody’s thoughts turn to flowers and what to get or create for that special person in your life.

The last couple of blogs have talked about the two floral mainstays of Valentine’s Day, Roses and Carnations and their meanings. If you are looking for something a little more unique to create with, I’d like to share with you some other fabulous flowers you could use and what their meanings are.

The dainty daisy represents gentleness, innocence and loyal love.

Red Chrysanthemum means I love you. In fact, the red shade of most flowers designates love so don’t worry if you can’t get those brilliant red roses you had your heart sent on sending.

Orchids represent magnificence, love and beauty. I love working with orchids. Our sister site has a large number of videos on creating arrangements with orchids.

Have a crush on somebody? Consider sending them Gardenias which represent a secret love.

Conversational Carnations 2012-02-03

Carnations like roses, have a wide range of ‘voices’ and are another excellent choice for telling that special someone how you feel about them on Valentine’s Day. This versatile flower is second only to roses in popularity. It’s gentle fragrance and hardy long lasting blossom make it a perfect choice for any arrangement style.

As with roses, the dark red carnation signifies deep love and affection.

White carnations are said to represent purity and pure love, as well as thank you and good luck. This makes them a great choice for wedding arrangements as well as a special bouquet for somebody going on a trip or perhaps moving away. They’re also a great choice to use if you want to create an arrangement to say thank you to somebody.

Pink Carnations are traditionally given on Mother’s Day as they symbolize a mother’s or sister’s love.

Purple carnations are not as readily available as their red and white counterparts and symbolize a sense of whimsy or capriciousness.

Yellow carnations, unlike their rose counterparts that mean friendship, are actually a flower that means rejection or disdain. And like the purple carnation, are not as easy to find.

Let Your Pedals Do The Talking 2012-01-31

Picking just the right flowers to create your bridal party flowers and your reception centerpieces is one of the most important parts of planning your special day. But apart from selecting your favorite colors, you can also let the flowers you chose send a very special message. This time of year, romance is everywhere and there are not only a lot of brides planning their weddings, but a lot of brides to be that will be surprised on Valentine’s Day with a proposal. I can’t think of a better reason to talk about the language of flowers than that! And I’m going to start off our little series on the language of flowers with the ultimate symbol of love. The Rose.

Red Roses–We all know that those gorgeous red roses signify deep love and romance. They’ve been identified with these feelings for centuries and are the most recognized symbol of love world wide. These days, roses are available in a wide variety of colors and with it, a wide variety of meanings in the language of flowers.

Pink Roses–The pink rose has been around maybe even longer than the red rose. Pink was and still is the dominate color for wild roses so naturally it appeared first as roses began to be cultivated. Pink Roses have a couple of different meanings. Love of course, but giving somebody pink roses can also mean gratitude and appreciation.

Yellow Roses–These lovely beauties have not been around as long as their red and pink counterparts and owe a great deal to cross breeding which gave this lovely rose it’s fabulous scent. Yellow roses are most popularly associated with Friendship, but they also mean Joy and are the perfect flower to send to somebody when you want to express Get Well wishes.

White Roses–What better flower to represent Purity and Innocence than the white rose. White roses are also known as the bridal rose and is classified as a traditional wedding flower because they also mean Unity, Virtue and the bond of New Love.

Orange Roses–This vibrantly colored rose is fast becoming a big contender against the Red Rose for Valentine’s Day. Orange Roses represent Desire, Enthusiasm and Passion, making them an excellent choice to give your sweetheart. They range in color from the palest peach to the deepest coral.

Lavender Roses–This rare bloom has a long history dating back to the Old Garden Roses. Modern hybridization has created additional varieties of lavender roses with the long stemmed rose being the one most used in arrangements. Lavender roses represent enchantment, Majesty and Love at First Sight.

Let’s Get Creative–Finding unique places to have your wedding 2012-01-27

Last week I discovered this wonderful blog entry and I knew I just had to share it with all my readers. With compliments of Beverly Harris, here is her very creative list of internet search ideas to find the perfect venue for your special day.

10 Creative Wedding Sites–Beverly Harris of Beverly Harris Wedding and Events
When discussing wedding sites with your fiance’, consider the approximate number of guests, activities (dancing, eating–buffet, finger food or sit-down meal?), budget limitations and proximity to your home. Below are 10 creative wedding sites that you may not have thought about.

Yacht or Yacht Club
Art Studio or Gallery

Winter Bouquet Choices–The Iris 2012-01-24

Beautiful and elegant, the Iris has over 200 varieties in a wide array of colors so it’s fitting that this gorgeous flower takes it’s name from the greek word for rainbow. They can be found in virtually every part of the world, growing both naturally and in a flower farm environment. The most popular types found as cut flowers are the blue, white and yellow.

Depending on the color, the Iris can convey all sorts of different meanings, from the blue which stand for faith and hope to the yellow that symbolize passion. White Iris represent purity and the flower itself expresses admiration, making it a perfect choice as a Valentine’s floral arrangement as well as for any Valentine bride.  The delicate and lacy blooms create beautiful and romantic bouquets.

Iris come in many forms and two distinct types, bearded and non bearded. The Bearded Iris varieties include Miniature Dwarf, Dwarf, Intermediate, Border Miniature Tall and Tall. The Non-Bearded Iris varieties include Siberian, Japanese, Louisiana, Dutch, Yellow Flag and Blue Flag.