Six Reasons to Stop Overthinking It and Simply Gift Someone Flowers.
Once upon a Valentine’s Eve, poised unassumingly in a rinsed-out plastic Folger’s Coffee jar at the foot of my storage locker door, stood a dozen red roses.
I crouched down. Turned the jar around. Searched for a note.
They couldn’t possibly have been from the guy I’d been dating. He didn’t have a key.
Une erreur? Were they meant for locker three?
Of all places. On that cold concrete floor, amidst an ugly storeroom.
A verse from a Leonard Cohen song echoed in my mind: “She shows you where to look —among the garbage and the flowers.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t make anything of it,” I thought.
“A rose is a rose is a rose,” after all.
“A rose is a rose is a rose.”
—Gertrude Stein
Alas, I never discovered the identity of my funny Valentine. But for that entire evening I felt adored.
It raises the question, “Shouldn’t we all gift roses to each other more often?”
Not only on V-days. Or B-days. Not only to spouses. Or grandmothers. (Yes, those ones deserve them too.)
No. 792 Rosa | Hulthemia | Hulthemia x Rosa | Rhodon | Rose | Vard | Vareda | Wâr | Ward | Wrodon |
SYMBOLIC MEANINGS
Balance; beauty; carrier of secrets and understanding; divination; equilibrium; healing; hope and passion; love; luck; magic; messenger of love; passion; perfection; protection; psychic powers; strength through silence; ultimate beauty.
No. 792
SPECIFIC COLOUR MEANINGS
Black: Beauty, death, farewell, hatred, imminent death, rebirth, rejuvenation
Blue: Attaining the impossible; mystery.
Burgundy: Implicitly; unconscious beauty.
Dark crimson: Mourning.
Dark pink: Thank you.
Orange: Desire, enthusiasm, fascination, passion, pride, and wonder.
Peach: Appreciation; closing of the deal; gratitude; immortality; let’s get together; modesty; sincerity.
Why arent we gifting flowers to those who aren’t expecting them?
Strangers. Shopkeepers. Dog walkers. The guy who fixes your heater and unclogs your washing machine. The single mom in the elevator, struggling with her groceries.
Who is more deserving of a rose than those?
No one has to know they came from you.
You can gift bouquets for no reason. Tulips for no one in particular.
Irises for no other aim than this: everyone deserves them. Everyone deserves to feel loved.
But in case you need reasons to gift flowers, here are six backed by science:
No. 1
You’ll induce a Duchenne smile.
Named after 19th-century French anatomist and neurologist Guillaume Duchenne de Boulogne, a Duchenne, or genuine, smile is almost guaranteed when you gift someone flowers.
Not only will the corners of their mouth lift, flexing their zygomatic major muscle, but their orbicularis oculi muscles around their eyes will confirm that their happy expression is the real deal.
And that smile will last. A study from Rutgers University demonstrated that women who receive flowers report positive moods three days later.
No. 2
You’ll feel like a hero.
Are you familiar with that “warm glow” you get from giving? Gifting flowers intensifies this feeling. It activates the reward centers in your brain, which releases “feel-good” chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. That leads to increased happiness, reduced stress, improved mood and all-around hero vibes.
No. 3
Everyone wins.
A 2021 study published in Environmental Research and Public Health suggests that just viewing peonies reduces hostility, fatigue, and anxiety while increasing a sense of vigor. Not only will your gifted flowers benefit you and your person, they’ll inspire vitality for everyone who crosses their path.
No. 4
Petals tread lightly.
Sure, roses have thorns, but they’re never a burden. In a world where most of us own way more stuff than we need, cut flowers never accumulate in our overcrowded closets. They’re biodegradable. They leave few carbon footprints. When you shop from Floriographie, you can sleep easy knowing we avoid single-use plastics and keep emissions to a minimum.
No, 5
Flowers remind us to be here now.
A bouquet of fresh blooms lasts only a week. If we’re lucky, two.
In that brief duration, an entire life cycle unfolds. The anticipation of the bud about to burst is palpable. The steady awakening of colour and perfume intoxicates. Then comes the withering, which, to a trained eye, can be just as beautiful as the blooming. Petals drift to the table, vulnerable, ephemeral, reminding us to care for and appreciate life before it ends.
No. 6
They delight and soothe all the senses.
Rose petals, especially, have a texture that is velvetier than velvet. As they lose their moisture, they become even softer. Hyacinth and lily sweeten the air. Ever tasted rose pistachio ice cream? If not, you're missing out. Pansies, lavender, and hibiscus look and taste delicious amid oranges, field greens, and Earl Grey tea. And if you listen closely enough, you can hear the daffodils and daisies laughing, the buttercups and baby’s breath giggling, and the poppies and magnolias singing.
So there it is. What are you waiting for?
Seasonally inspired, each bouquet contains a florist's choice mix of blooms and foliage, delivered hand-tied and carefully wrapped.
The petite bouquet arrives wrapped in twine and standard paper and stays fresh in a charming mason jar.
Our standard and luxe bouquets arrive adorned with silk ribbons and premium paper and rest elegantly in a glass vase.
A completely personalized floral experience where your story sets the blueprint for a one-of-a-kind arrangement. Send us your inspiration—a memory, colour palette, or poem—and we’ll translate it into a living composition that is entirely, intimately yours.
References
Dietz, S. Theresa. The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History (pp. 186-187). (Function). Kindle Edition.
Haviland-Jones, J., Rosario, H. H., Wilson, P., & McGuire, T. R. (2005). An environmental approach to positive emotion: flowers. Evolutionary Psychology, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/147470490500300109
Zhao, R. L., Zhang, G., Wang, X., Zhang, B. T., Guo, L. N., Niu, L. X., & Zhang, Y. L. (2019). Psycho-Physiological Effects of a Peony-Viewing Program on Middle-Aged and Elderly Individuals at Different Phenological Stages. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(3), 439. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16030439