Author: Ohsie Austria

When you get flowers, you want them to last as long as possible, so you can saviour the moment. Jardelika have got some tips and tricks on how to make your flowers last longer, have a read…

For an Arrangement
Remember your flowers are living things so you will need to water them daily. To make this an easy process, there is a ‘watering hole’ located in the back right hand corner of your arrangement. Ensure that the reservoir is always full of water; flowers get thirsty too!

For a Bouquet
Make sure you snip a few millimeters from the stems before you put them in water. This re-opens the drinking vessels in the stems and allows the flower to absorb the water more freely. This will help prolong the life of your flowers.

For Dried Arrangements
To dust your arrangement, set your hairdryer to a cool low setting and blow the dust away.

In General
• If you have access to a flower preservative do use it, if not we recommend you don’t use home remedies like bleach as it is an exact process and viability will change for different flower types and conditions. You are better off just keeping the water fresh by changing it on a regular basis (every two days).
• Remove any dead blooms from your arrangement. This will help to prolong the life of the remaining flowers.
• Keep your flowers in a cool place and away from draughts and electrical appliances such as microwaves, televisions and heaters.
• Ethylene gas released during the natural ripening process of specific fruits and vegetables can increases the rate at which flowers deteriorate, therefore do not place your flowers near a fruit bowl.

Most importantly – enjoy them!

Flowers don’t last forever but they do bring great joy while they are with us.

So revel in their flower power while you can!!!

Aries
• Aries are a Fire Sign which means they are passionate, enthusiastic, adventurous
• Flowers & Plants for an Aries: Opuntia cactus (prickly pear), celosia (cockscomb), thorn-bearing shrubs, red roses, tulips, red peppers, amaryllis
Taurus
• Taurians are Earth Signs which means they are home-loving, conventional, gourmand
• Flowers & Plants for a Taurus: sweet William (Dianthus barbatus), scented stock, fruit-bearing trees, lavender, lilac, aster, lily of the valley, sweet pea
Gemini
• Gemini is an Air Sign and they are talkative, lively, intellectual
• Flowers & Plants for Geminis include: Solanum (Winter cherries), ranunculus, maidenhair fern (Addiantum), solidago (goldenrod), acacia (mimosa, wattle), daffodil, nut-bearing trees, cactus
Cancer
• Cancerians are Water Signs meaning they are secretive, protective, caring
• Flowers & Plants for the Cancerians are: cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), Ammi (Queen Anne’s lace), delphinium, ferns, plumbago, passionflower, hydrangea, iris
Leo
• The mighty Leo is a Fire Sign, they are extrovert, faithful, larger than life
• Leo’s Flowers & Plants are: safflower (Carthamus), croton, Joseph’s coat (Codiaeum), marigold, gerbera, crocosmia, dahlia, clivia, sunflower
Virgo
• Virgo comes under the Earth Sign and they are generally practical, modest, perfectionist
• Virgo Flower& Plant choices include: monkshood (Aconitum), hypericum ( St John’s wort),chrysanthemum, eucalyptus, veronica, violet, ivy, thistle
Libra
• Librans are Air Signs, they are elegant, diplomatic, romantic
• Libran Flowers & Plants are: chincherinchee (Ornithogalum), Moluccella (bells of Ireland), Cymbidium orchid, gardenia, tea roses, tuberose, freesia, gladiolus
Scorpio
• The Scorpio is a Water Sign. The Scorpio is sensual, determined, dangerous
• Flowers & Plants for Scorpio include: venus fly trap (Dionaea), Alpinia (pink ginger), Amaranthus (love lies bleeding), red hot poker (Kniphofia), hibiscus, peony, cactus, anthurium
Sagittarius
• Sagittarius is a Fire Sign, they are straightforward, optimistic, playful
• Sagittarian Flowers & Plants include: Eremurus (foxtail lily), eustoma (lisianthus), Liatris (blazing star), carnation, crocus, muscari, berried plants, allium
Capricorn
• Capricorns come under the Earth Sign, they are hard-working, ambitious, respectable
• Capricorn Flowers & Plants are: statice, holly, African violet, ivy, philodendron, kentia palm, snowdrop, jasmine
Aquarius
• The Aquarians fall under the Air Sign they are forward-looking, unconventional, independent
• Aquarian Flowers & Plants include: Eryngium (sea holly), arum lily (Zantedeschia), bird of paradise (Strelitzia), pitcher plant (Sarracenia), banksia, protea, yucca, aloe
Pisces
• Pisceans are Water Signs, they are intuitive, humorous, compassionate
• Flowers & Plants for the Pisces include: madonna lily (Lilium candidum), Euphorbia marginata, Cyperus (papyrus), stephanotis, jasmine, lilac, narcissus, gypsophila

You can base your colour choice on traditional associations or scientific choices.

Traditional Colour Choice
These traditional colour choices mainly apply to roses but may also be applied to other flower types.

• Red roses mean romantic love.
• Purple roses signify that the giver has fallen in love with the recipient at first sight.
• Coral and orange roses signal desire.
• Yellow roses are joy and friendship.
• Pink roses express our gratitude and appreciation.
• Light pink roses show feelings of admiration and sympathy.
• Peach is more indefinite, as it can signify either sympathy or gratitude.
• White roses show meaning of reverence and humility.

Scientific Colour Choice
People respond to different colours in different ways, and these responses take place on a subconscious, emotional level.

Specific colours have different effects on the human brain:

• Black : self-confidence, power, strength
• Blue : calming, lowers blood pressure
• Green : soothing, relaxing mentally as well as physically, helps those suffering from depression, anxiety, nervousness
• Violet : provides a peaceful environment
• Pink: relaxes, relieves tension, soothing
• Yellow : energizes, relieves depression,
• Orange : energizes, stimulates
• Red : stimulates brain wave activity, increases heart rate, respirations and blood pressure

Flower meanings and symbolisation were a key element to flower choice many years ago.

Jardelika have noticed this old school tradition is making a comeback.

So to help you make the right decision we have provided the following information to assist you in your flower choice.

Obviously you do not have to send an arrangement that has a deep meaning behind the flower type, you can just choose an arrangement because you like the look of it.

But having this information can assist you in your choice if you are finding it hard to decide on a design.

MEANINGS OF FLOWERS, HERBS AND OTHER PLANTS

Please tell us which flowers have meaning to you! If we are missing one of your favorites, please tell us which one and its meaning.

Do you have a favorite flower meaning? Or do you know of any meanings we missed? Let us know in the comments below!