“A sort of valentine on the back of your hand,” said Sally Benson of her memories of living in St. Louis about 1904 that had appeared in the New Yorker in 1941, later to become the MGM hit musical Meet Me In St. Louis starring Judy Garland. “Women who are given flowers enjoy a more positive mood for three full days after they receive them,” according to MSN Health & Fitness and Prevention magazine.
If that isn’t a good enough reason to make a present of a posy this 14th February, the same publication notes that flowers can prevent dieters from feeling depressed and can keep them focused on dropping unwanted pounds. Over half of Canadian males will purchase flowers for this Valentines Day, according to the University of Western Ontario.
In Ontario, they will each spend over $30 for such. What flowers will be best appreciated? Amy Vongitaka, owner of Thailand-based Amy’s Orchids, shipped off 60,000 white Dendrobium orchids for the April 2008 wedding of Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z. This might be overdoing it a bit. However, orchid plants are increasing popular, widely available and as an additional attraction for those on scaled-down budgets, as low as $15 for an attractive pot of Phalaenopsis or moth orchids.
In Canada, carnations are a popular choice for cut flowers if only because they are easier to come by than the more traditional roses – and likely to be cheaper. Around Valentines Day, a modest bunch of long-stemmed roses is likely to set an enamoured male back more than $30 – a lot more depending on the source. “I claim there ain’t/Another Saint/As great as Valentine” proclaimed Ogden Nash. Florists would agree. Are red flowers appropriate though?
It may seem a silly question but floral industry experts have occasional flashes of doubt. True, red is the colour of romance and love but is that suitable for anybody gifting their mother, outside of Oedipus Rex? Pinks, say the doyens of good floral taste, equates to admiration, grace and elegance, perhaps a better choice then.There are other excellent reasons for giving flowers.
The Society of American Florists’ Generations of Flowers Study determined that flowers make the recipient feel special, while the sight and smell improve mood. Even the colour can add impact to a gift. All can go to nought, however, if within a day or two the floral bouquet is fit only for the compost heap or organic waste bin.
Some strange suggestions for prolonging flower life have even come from florists themselves. For instance, Sprite, one part pop to three parts water, claims one CEO of a chain of flower shops. Dropping a penny in the vase is another solution sometimes encountered. Changing the water daily while adding a few drops of bleach is also recommended.Professionals recommend first off trimming the bottom inch or so off the stems. This will remove clogged channels, allowing improved water uptake, which can be improved still further by lightly pounding the base of the stalks.
Remove all lower leaves that will otherwise be underwater and add a commercial cut flower preservative to the vase. This is essentially finely powdered sugar and bleach – the sugar to feed the flowers, the bleach to control bacteria. Finally, Gayle Smith in last October’s issue of
Canadian Florist trade magazine, warned about roses, carnations and lilies being sensitive to the ethylene gas released from nearby fruit and vegetables. Whatever your choice, however you resort to prolonging the gift, we return to Ogden Nash to observe of this special day: “We’d never annex/The female sex/Without Saint Valentine.”
