Clare Florist Blog

Delicate in appearance, the sweetly scented freesia is in fact a very resilient little flower. Named after the German physician, Dr Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese, they come in an array of colours, from snowy white to sunny yellow, to deep purple and red. Unlike most flowers, in freesias it is the darker varieties that have the strongest scent; their pungent fragrance is used in many soaps, body lotions and shampoos. Sun-loving flowers, most varieties of freesia come from the Cape Province of South Africa, with a few species growing further north in the tropics of the African continent. They were first imported to Europe in the late 1800s and since then have become a firm favourite around the world, with over 100 million stems being sold in the UK each year and an recent survey by F & PA (The Flowers & Plants Association) found that over half of the respondents listed them as one of their favourite flowers.

Freesias belong to the same family as the iris, the Iridacceae. They should be kept away from sources of heat and from fruit as they’re very sensitive to ethylene gas which is produced by ripening fruit!

Handtied fragrant freesia bouquet

Appearing next to warm orange tulips in our Mandarin Blues spring bouquet is the more elusive, regal bloom of the dark blue iris. The iris symbolises hope, faith and wisdom and was most famously known in history as the emblem of the French royalty, the Fleur-de-Lis. This stylised depiction of the iris has also appeared in numerous flags and coats of arms over the years, and today is used to represent the Spanish monarchy and makes up the flag of the  Brussels-Capital Region. It is also the flower the Swiss Municipality of Schlieren, Zürich and the state flower of Tennessee — a popular and potent symbol.

The iris takes its name from the Greek word for rainbow on account of the numerous colours in which it can be found; there are so many varieties that they can be grown naturally all year round. And it's not just ornamental: iris root and blossom are used to give flavour and colour to certain brands of gin, such as Bombay Saphire and Magellan. The root of the bearded iris is known as orris root and has been used in herbal medicines and perfumes for centuries, and the essential oil of the flowers is used in aromatherapy for its calming effect.

Whether looked at through the Christian or Pagan traditions, Easter is a celebration of rebirth. It  commemorates the most important event in the Christian story: the resurrection of Christ following his crucifixion, which is marked by Good Friday, bringing a message of hope and renewed religious life. It also marks the beginning of Spring, when the flowers begin to bloom in earnest, the birds sing their amorous songs and lay their eggs and new life is seen in the the lambs and chicks and baby rabbits so often represented at Easter time.

Thus, floral bouquets make an ideal Easter gift. Churches are often decorated with Easter flowes of yellow and white to accompany the joyful hymns of Easter services. The lily is the traditional Easter flower in the USA. As well as being a symbol of purity, the lily's single stem blossoming from a seemingly lifeless bulb is said to represent Christ's coming back to life three days after his resurrection. Legend also has it that lilies sprung up where drops of Christ's sweat fell to the ground as he languished, nailed to the cross.

The traditional Easter flower of the UK and Russia is less glamorous, being the soft budded pussy willow, while in Germany red flowers are said to represent the blood of Christ and in France and Italy the bright yellow seasonal blooms of narcissuses are favoured — and spring tulips are always popular.

For some more inspiration, have a look at our great selection of Easter bouquets.

You don't need a reason to send flowers, whatever the weather, the state of the world or the time of the day, people are delighted to see a flower delivery when they answer the door.
Our unique box has been designed with a clear window so the recipient can peer into the box and see their flowers before they even take them out the box.
Flowers are genius communicators. Combined with the opportunity to select your own unique design for your gift card whoever you are sending these to will feel you have really chosen something especially for them.
Sending flowers "just because" is a great reason to make someone feel really delighted because they are so unexpected.
So go on make someone's day !!!

http://www.clareflorist.co.uk/

I mentioned previously in this blog that Chrysanthemums get the royal treatment in Japan. In fact, the annual celebration of the famous Chrysanthemum Festival in Japan falls in September, traditionally on the 9th. But the most mesmerising part, however, may not be so well known outside of Japan.

The little gem I'm referring to is the "Chrysanthemum dolls" exhibition - yes, an invigorating show of life-size dolls in costumes made of fresh and blooming Chrysanthemums! The first of these shows was way back in 1910, an event that was since regularly held at Hirakata. At each show, 50 dolls are constructed to display characters in various famous Japanese historical scenes as well as Japanese drama (kabuki).

Link to a picture of a Chrysanthemum Dolls exhibit.

These enchanting dolls require the utmost expertise and care from the craftsmen, not to mention meticulous planning and co-ordination - with different masters dealing with different parts, from the design of the scenario layout down to the bamboo body frames and painted faces. Each doll would take at least a day to be constructed by an expert, using up at least 100 plants. Over the duration of the show, flowers have to be continually kept fresh and they are changed every 7 days or show, using up to 40000 plants altogether!

A shame that they seem to have stopped doing these shows, as far I know, due to a mixture of declining number of visitors and a lack of successors to the old masters of this craft. That's not to say some Chrysanthemum dolls that are left around certain Japanese botanical gardens won’t greet you.
Until then, why not send "Just Chrysanths" or even try developing some Chrysanthemum figures of your own?

Long gone are the days of associating Chrysanthemums with funerals and crummy old rooms. Vibrant with exhilarating colours and varieties, and durable beyond most cut flowers, they are the current hippest favourites in town!

In fact, I've always wondered about the name. As it turns out, the flower was named by Mr. Linnaeus (mentioned a couple of entries ago), the funky long name coming from a combination of the Greek 'krus' meaning gold and 'anthemum' meaning flower. 

In Japan, the gold flower has always been viewed as symbol of the sun. There, Chrysanthemums have a long history of being used to represent divine authority, where the throne is referred as the Chrysanthemum throne. The Japanese even have a special festival dedicated to it!

For the Chinese also, the flower is of a special value - East Asian species of these golden beauties are often boiled with rock sugar to make the powerful throat healing, fever cooling remedial herbal tea. There's also a city named after Chrysanthemums in China!

Unfortunately the Chrysanthemums in your lovely bouquet won't be edible! Just as well..according to Feng Shui, they will bring endless amount of laughter and happiness to your home - so leave them on display! Other symbolism of the flower include longevity and nobility, they are great for adding that royal touch to any rooms.

And of course, these colourful delights are perfect for making eye-catching arrangements, you can get some inspirations for possibilities of what to do with them here.

We will soon have some of these enchanting chrysanthemum bouquets in stock - look out for them!!

P.S. Another piece of trivia - there's a type of firework that's named Chrysanthemum for its resemblence to the flower!

When trying to pick the perfect bouquet, besides choosing the variety that will send the right message, the biggest headache must be choosing the best colour or combination of colours! As Oscar Wilde once wrote, "Mere colour, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways."

Meanings associated with different colours, and his/her favourite colour aside, each colour is said to have subtle effects on our mental states caused by the neurological effects from the different frequencies of colour lightwaves. So, whether you want to create a particular mood for your room, or seek some flowery therapy for the soul, some knowledge of the powers of each colour will go a long way!

Red - Ahhh..the colour of warmth. With the longest wavelength, it is also the colour associated with blood and energy - perfect if your room is in need of an energy boost, or stir up some warm feelings in that special someone!

Suggestion - Roses or the Clare Florist Tropical Red Anthuriums

or for a slightly darker shade of red:  Black Cala (which are in reality not black but more a dark maroon - still lovely though)

Yellow - Wake up to some sunny yellow flowers for an injection of optimism and alertness. Eye catching and memory stimulating, yellow flowers not only look delicious and brighten up any gloomy rooms, they also do wonders for those who would rather be more decisive.

Suggestions: Sunflowers, Mango Cala, Yellow lilies

Orange - For those with hay fever or dust allergies, befriend the Orange flowers! Orange is said to improve immune and digestive systems, with the psychological effect of making us cheerful and more warm-hearted. 

Suggestion: orange roses and gerbera

Blue - Calming and non threatening, blue flowers are particularly good for those in need of some relaxation and a good night sleep. It's said to suppress appetites though..so perhaps not the best flowers to put in the kitchen!

Suggestion: blue collection

Green - Another relaxing colour..green flowers are not only great for getting rid of stress, they also aid concentration - making them ideal for study rooms or offices.

Suggestions: anthurium, lime bouquet

For all the colours why not have a look at our Colour Collections range of flowers.

Have you ever wondered where all those lovely fancy double worded latin names for plants and creatures come from? This year marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Carl Linnaeus, the man who originally came up with the system for taxonomy. In the famous Swede's own words "If you do not know the names of things, the knowledge of them is lost”. Today, biologists, botanists and taxonomists still describe and order plants, animals and people with names like bellis perennis (lawn daisy), or homo sapiens (human).

The Linnean Classification System

The life of Carl Linnaeus was full of illustrious achievements. The most notable and exciting one, must be his innovative classification system for plants! - 23 classes of flowering plants (plus one for those that don't flower) was used to classify all plants based on the number, size and arrangement of their stamens.

The classification system in fact was rather sexy, as Linnaeus would use the male and female organs of each plant to classify them into groups, offering an easy way for even the most amateur of us to identify what a plant is. To give an idea of the scandalous nature of some of these names - a plant of the Monogynia order within the Tetrandria class can be thought of one wife with four husbands! Despite being disapproved by some of his contemporaries, the classification system quickly became popular throughout Europe and was widely used by all.

Flower Clock

Another interesting idea of Linnaeus, described in Philosophia Botanica (1751) was that of a floral clock. Since some flowers (those in the group of Aequinoctales) have fixed times for opening and closing regardless of the weather, by arranging plants in their order of flowering, this can be used to tell the time accurately to within half an hour! Although it is thought that Linnaeus never managed to plant one of his own, the idea became popular in the 19th century where flower beds can be planted in a circle and segmented into 12 parts. For more information on which flowers should be used to mark the different hours, take a look at:

this bbc page or for an example javascript floral clock.

Celebrating the anniversary of Carl Linnaeus with floral art

Finally, in relation to the 300th anniversary, the Linnean Society of London will be holding the LAPADA Autumn Antiques and Fine Art Fair from 11-14th October 2007, where the theme will be "The Glory of the Flower - floral motifs in art and antiques". Perfect for those of us who appreciate seeing the vast varieties of flowers being expressed in different ways within works of art!

Prepared by Tracy, posted by Bob.

With the sunshine finally (and very slowly!) approaching us, it's the perfect time to decorate your houses with some summery flowers that will make you smile. Looking through our summer collection, I stumbled across our bouquet of sunflowers that are currently on special offer:

Sensational Sunflowers from Clare Florist

And what represents the joy of being under glorious sunshine better than sunflowers?

Not only are sunflowers one of the more useful flowers - producing sunflower seeds and sunflower oil for our consumption just to name a few, they are also known to symbolise longevity and adoration. At the more political end of the spectrum, they are also the symbol of a world free of nuclear weapons which stemmed from their representation of hope.

Some interesting trivia about sunflowers:

• According to legends, the original form of the sunflower was a water-nymph named Clytie. Besotted by the beauty of the Sun God, Apollo, she would stare at him all day. Her love was never returned, and after starving herself for 9 days, she became rooted to the ground, and other gods who took pity on her turned her into the sunflower. Today she is still in love with the Sun!
• The sunflower myth - if a girl puts three sunflower seeds down her back, she will marry the first boy she meets. Hmm..not sure I would like to try that.
• The florets (which are the centre of the flower) of sunflowers form one of the most mesmerizing patterns infused with symmetrical beauty seen amongst cut flowers. For the more mathematically inclined - if you look closely enough, you will see that the florets form interconnecting spirals, where the number of right and left spirals are successive Fibonacci numbers. Each floret is also oriented to the next at roughly the golden angle, constituting a delectable visual feast. Ideal flowers to give to the mathematicians and scientist friends and relatives amongst you!
• These beautiful yellow flowers have also inspired many artwork and literature in the past, the most notable of which may be the series of paintings done by Van Gogh which captured the life of sunflowers at different stages. A random fact - according to some research, Van Gogh's Sunflowers was the painting most preferred by bees!

That's it for now...except for a poem by William Blake for a little sunflower pondering for today.

'Ah Sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun;
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller's journey is done;

Where the Youth pined away with desire,
And the pale virgin shrouded in snow,
Arise from their graves, and aspire
Where my Sunflower wishes to go!'

Every time we receive an order, it becomes a kind of mission for us to deliver the bouquet successfully and make someone's day extra great. Just recently we had a heartwarming little tale of 'Lost and Found' here at Clare Florist.

The story goes..that one day, we were rather excited to receive an international order from Australia (always feel extra special to send/receive flowers from abroad!). But then, lo and behold..although the delivery address was in Manchester, the post codes and street names were found to be non-existent. A wrong address! Our hearts sank.. We then tried to see if the recipient was listed in that area of Manchester and called them..still no luck! We kept our fingers crossed and hoped that some Google magic will point us in the right direction..and failing that..surely a call to Australia should point us somewhere?

Well, despite making sure that it wasn't silly hours in the morning when we called, all we got was an answering machine message. By this point it's turned into a bit of a detective game for us and we were unwilling to give up. As a last resort, we checked through all the people with the same surname and telephone area code within the phonebook. The few possibilities were our only hope left for reuniting the flowers with their owners..so we dialled...

What a relief to finally hearing one of them say 'That is my daughter-in-law!". A happy ending. We got the correct details and she ended up with the correct flowers. For us, the extra effort was definitely worth it when the mission is finally accomplished - the whole thing made our day (and hopefully theirs too!)

Clare Florist - the florist you can trust for flowers without the fuss.

Today we commence a rather special offer for lovely red roses.

Clare Florist will deliver 20 (rather than the usual 12) high quality Red Roses in a compact and trendy bouquet, throughout the UK next day and all for only £39.99 inclusive of delivery.

This represents a saving of a whole £10 or 20% - yes that is Twenty percent - off the usual selling price.

Order now by using this link, before we change our minds!

Clare Florist, flowers for all occasions without any fuss.

I just came across a rather interesting exibition which is currently on at the British Museum - seven different Japanese flower arrangements are to be displayed over seven weeks, a perfect chance to have a taste of the fascinating art of Ikebana!

For those who have never heard of Ikebana, literally meaning living flowers, it refers to the the Japanese art of flower arrangement. In contrast to Western flower arrangement styles, Ikebana puts emphasis on assymetries, and makes use of empty space and elegant lines to accentuate the beauty of their floral design.

With a Buddhist origin, Ikebana aims to represent the beauty and harmony of nature, while capturing its transience through the arrangement of flower blossoms and other materials such as branches and leaves. The entire structure of a Japanese flower arrangement is based on three main points that symbolize heaven, earth, and man.

Currently there are 3 main schools of Ikebana - Ikenobo, Sogetsu  and Ohara. Ikenobo was said to be the founder of Ikebana, introducing the form of standing flower, which was developed as the Buddhist expression for nature's beauty. Sogetsu teaches Ikebana in a disciplined manner using patterns, where there are 3 main branches arranged to precise angles and shapes. Ohara later introduced the use of shallow, flat containers. This style is described as 'piled up flowers', which allows more freedom into the arrangements following influences from the West.

Another fascinating point - this art form is enjoyed in Japan by men and women alike! In fact, currently, the leading flower arrangers are for the most part, men.

Do go and take a look at this exquisite form of floral art at the exhibition if you happen to be in or around London before the 19th August 2007. For more information on the exhibition, take a look at:

British Museum- future exhibitions - ikebana

You can find out more about Ikebana and its background history at:

http://www.ikebanahq.org/whatis.html

Prepared by Tracy, posted by Bob

Maybe I have been thinking too much about flowers recently, the other day I had the most bizarre dream of a gorilla giving me a gigantic carnation! Feeling curious, I searched around for the meaning of seeing carnation in a dream, which in fact turns out to symbolise light-heartedness, vitality and joy. Inspired by this, I decided to also look up the meanings of the appearances of various other flowers in dreams and share my findings here:

• Certain flowers are seen as being good omens when appearing in dreams. These include jasmine, chrysanthemum, marigold, myrtle, laurel, violets and daisies field. In particular, marigold is associated with wealth, violet symbolises prosperity, while laurel is associated with success in love. Dreaming of currently blooming flowers is also seen as good luck.
• There are more flowers that are associated with love and marriage. Rose is another flower which signify success in love, while honeysuckle represent a happy marriage when appearing in a dream.
• Unfortunately, there are also some flowers which denote misfortunes. Dandelions, wilted bouquets and withered roses are the most common unlucky flower symbols in dreams. Boohoo.
• Of course it is in the nature of dreams that there would also be an element of personal significance in what you dream of. Colours, environment and events are all common factors which can affect the dream interpretation - ultimately it is your own interpretation which reflect the most about what your dreams might mean!

Prepared by Tracy, posted by Bob.

Have you ever thought about how flowers come to be symbolic of various themes, and how these themes came to be in existence in the first place?

This is going to be the first in a series of blog entries looking into the myths and legends behind some of the most well-known flowers.

As the flower most artists and poets agreed upon as having a soul, we will begin with the lily.

According to Greek mythology, the goddess Hera, wife of Zeus was nursing her son Hercules when excess milk fell from the sky. Not only did this created the Milky Way, but a few drops also made their way to earth, from which sprang the first lilies. This may be the inspiration for the Greek poets choice of lily as a symbolism for tenderness.

Roman legends also suggested that Venus became jealous of the whiteness and beauty of a lily and thus caused the appearance of the hideous looking pistil in the middle of the flower's pure white center.

Moreover the recognition of lilies as a symbol for purity and chastity originated in Christianity, where white lilies were said to have be found growing in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Christ's crucifixion from where drops of Christ's sweat fell to the ground from the cross.

Another legend said that lilies grew from tears of repentence which were shed by Eve when she left the Garden of Eden. Lilies were also commonly associated with the Virgin Mary and the Annunciation, commonly illustrated in scenes of the angel's visit to Mary. The lily represents the Annunciation, emblematising her body as the white petals, and the soul as the anther.

Inspired to decorate your home or send your love with some beautiful white lilies? I think these would be my personal favourites!

• Calming Callas
• Simply Lilies
• Longi Lilies

Prepared by Tracy, posted by Bob

Following on from my last post on edible flowers (thank you for the correction), here is some information  on the specific medicinal uses of various flowers.

Some of these are consumed in the form of flower tea or in essence form, whilst others are applied externally.

More information on flower and plants as skin treatment (including some recipes) can be found here or for more detail on the medicinal uses of wild flowers - here.

This entry and the Clareflorist page prepared by Tracy,  posted by Bob

Prepared by Viki, posted by Bob

For a touch of exoticism in your daily meals, why not try adding some flowers to brighten up the dish, or petals to add some interesting flavours?

As long as the flowers are free of pesticides/chemicals, here are a handful of common flowers which can be used in food or cocktails:

• Borage - tiny blue flowers with slight cucumber flavour, eaten raw in salads.
• Chrysanthemum - for herbal tea or salads, Asian variety 'Shungiku' also used for stir fries.
• Fuscias - used for salads and as a garnish with fish, chicken or grilled vegetables.(This turns out to be incorrect - please do not use the petals of fuschia for eating - please see the attached comment for more details.)
• Lavender - can be used to flavour jelly, icecream, baked goods and grilled meat.
• Hibiscus - mild flavour, good for decorating and adding flavour to salads.
• Pot Marigolds - petals can be used for salad, citrus flavoured.
• Pansies - with sweet, tart flavour, can be candied or used straight for salads
• Roses - petals with slight fruity flavour, can be used for rosewater or in food preparation. Rose hips(below petals) are sour and can be used in infusions.

Be careful though..some are not to be eaten!

Some popular cut flowers are poisonous to eat and these include Calla Lilies, Delphinium, Hyacinth, Iris, Narcissus (Daffodils and Jonquils), Poppy and Tulips.

Edible flower storage

Long-stem edible flowers should be placed in water and stored in a cool place, whilst short-stem flowers can be layered between damp towels or stored loosely in a plastic bag and refrigerated.

Some inspiring flower recipes can be found here on the BBC website.

And for a more comprehensive listing of flower flavours.

First article by our new writer Tracy, posted by Bob

• The colour pink is named after the flower! Pinks are known as such not due to their colour but allegedly because of the pinks (ragged edges) on their petals.
 
• We do not see some colours in flowers – they actually are more vividly coloured than even we see them. For example, the daisy has a colourful central zone that we do not see – but that butterflies do, therefore aiding  them to be pollinated.
 
• The same chemicals that give cherries their colour may be a better pain relief agent than aspirin or ibuprofen.
 
• Life jackets used to be stuffed with the stems of sunflowers
 
• How much rent would you think Prince Charles would be paid in rent for his lands on the Island of Scilly? The answer is one daffodil!
 
• Honey bees must visit two million flowers to make just one pound of honey! Each worker bee makes 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime!
 

That is just a first brief glimpse into the wonderful world of mother nature.

More to come - so watch this space!

Prepared by Viki.

The month of May just sees the start of many of the Flower Shows that we will see springing up across the nation. I will try and cover most of the bigger shows. For now though, here is just a taster of the shows coming up:

The Chelsea Flower Show

One cannot talk about Flower Shows in the UK without mentioning possibly the most well-known of them all – the Chelsea Flower Show.

Running from 22-26 May, this is considered by many to be one of the most prestigious Flower Shows in the UK. Supported by the Royal Horticultural Society, you can gain a wealth of information about the event from it's website, including highlights from the 2006 show in this link.

The Bath & West Agricultural Show

Running from 30 May – 2 June, this is described on its webpage as being the show

“where all aspects of farming and rural life can be seen, from the best of British livestock to the latest business innovations in farming. The show offers the perfect day out for the whole family; the best for shopping, food, flowers, crafts, country pursuits, equestrian competitions and arena displays.”

That says it all really! I may add however that it seems to have a wide range of things going on – so would be a great choice if going with family who will inevitably have a variety of different tastes.

The Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

Running from 3-8 July, this is another show supported for the Royal Horticultural Society.

As well as the: floral marquees, plant plots and festival of roses to marvel at, there are other attractions such as: competitions, floral art and an art gallery.

The RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park

This being one of the later shows, running from 18-22 July. The show at Tatton Park is also (as the title suggests) supported by the Royal Horticultural Society, you can gain a wealth of information from its website. Things you can enjoy at the park include the gardens: show gardens, show features and back to back gardens, as well as the “RHS/Ball Colegrave National Flower Bed Competition”

Please watch out for more coverage on the shows as the warmer months progress. And if you have been or are planning to go to any of the shows – let me know your thoughts – I would love to hear from you!

Prepared by Viki, posted by Bob.

Viki carried out a survey for the types of flowers that men say they would buy for their Mother for Mother's day 2007

The major problem that occurred with this survey was that a lot of men when asked could not pinpoint a specific flower (and have thus been left off of the list and chart). 

Please compare these findings with my previous findings i.e. What Mothers want versus what their sons think they want – you will see some discrepancies!  Lilies were only picked by 1 son in my poll whereas daffodils (going by % rate) were much preferred by sons than by Mums – one citing the reason for this as being the cost – that they can be picked up so cheaply!!! (I hope your Mother is not reading!).  Roses however, were by far the most favoured by men to buy for their mothers.

Most men would buy a mixed bouquet, and would be quite happy to pay a florist upto their monetary limit to make up a bouquet, relying on the expertise and discretion of the staff to come up with something suitable for their Mother.  Luckily at Clare's we have that expertise...

One Mum who received a bouquet for Mothers Day put together by the Clare's team, had this to say:

“My bouquet was beautiful and so well made up.  It contained all my favourites – Roses, Lilies, Pink Daisies – in fact all of the flowers were pink – set off against beautiful dark green foliage.  I thought that the “thank you card” inside was a great touch (as it saves having to go out and purchase one - and perhaps forgetting to.  There were still plenty of buds when it arrived and so a week on the flowers are still looking as lovely as the day I got them - and the scent is gorgeous – everyone who has been in the room has commented on it.  They were so well presented as well – I did not want to unwrap them.  I would certainly use Clare's when sending flowers myself in the future” - Marion, 53, Edinburgh.

Posted by Bob for Viki.

Results by Age group.
25 to 40 year old Mothers.

41 to 59 year old Mothers

Mothers 60 years and above.

As you can see – the difference in preference is quite outstanding. One of the most significant differences is that Lilies made up 50% of the favourites for the 25-40 age group, but did not feature at all in the 60+ group. When I followed this up, it seems that the older generation still associate lilies to some degree with funerals thus their dislike of them being received on what should be a happy occasion. Lilies are more popular with the middle age bracket – so I think that these views are “dying out”, which is great as the lily is a beautiful flower, which we have seen, many love to receive. Roses unsurprisingly feature in all 3 age brackets – so are probably the “safe bet” if you are at a loss as to which flowers to go for!

So, what do you think about the results? Do they surprise you? Do you know what flowers your own Mother would like to receive on Mothers Day? Possibly not, as it is not a question that we ask – in fear of “giving the game away” and is probably not something we think of asking around December time for example so that we know what to buy when Mothers Day comes up. Possibly some detective work would be in order? Or why not use out survey results as a guide?!

Posted by Bob for Viki

I asked 16 Mothers of varying ages and occupations what flowers they would most like to receive on Mothers Day. And here are the results:

A break down of the results.

So, despite carnations being the traditional Mothers Day Flower – they did not feature once! And the best seller (see previous blog entry) from last year – the rose – came a very close second to the Lilly!

Also... keep your eyes open because I will be asking men what they think their Mothers would most like to receive on Mother's Day – and we shall see how the results compare!

“Mothering Sunday” or “Mother’s Day” as it is now more often called, falls on the 4^th Sunday in Lent – but as there are variances in this year on year – Mother’s Day does not always fall at the same time each year.

Although it is completely unrelated to the US Mother’s Day (as well as the Mother’s Days of most other countries) - the reasoning (i.e. to celebrate and show appreciation to Mother’s) behind it are very similar.
The beginnings of an official “Mother’s Day” in the UK (akin to how we know it today) goes right back to the 17^th century, and was known even then as “Mothering Sunday” although its origins can be traced back much further than this. During this early time, working children and young adults would get the day off from their duties to visit their Mother’s - bringing them small gifts – cake and flowers or a variety of other gifts depending on the locality and job in which they worked.

There is also evidence that servants were allowed to pick flowers from their Masters grounds – which is undoubtedly where the tradition of giving flowers on Mother’s Day originated and continues strongly today.

The US Mother’s Day began around 150 years ago when Anna Jarvis lobbied Ministers in her Mother’s memory to have a day where Mother’s were celebrated. During the first Church service to honour Anna's mother (also Anna M. Jarvis) she handed out white carnations - her Mother’s favourite flower – which could be the reason (as below) why white carnations are the traditional flower for remembering Mother’s who have deceased, and possibly pink carnations were chosen as an alternative to this for Mother’s still alive – much in the same way as one now would not give the living a wreath.

Although the traditional Mother’s Day flower is a carnation (pink carnations particularly, although white carnations are used a sign of respect and love to deceased Mother’s), things have moved on a lot since the days when Carnations were picked for Mother’s by their children (sometimes not altogether legally – for example young children picking carnations from someone else's garden!). Things have become a lot more sophisticated over the centuries – largely to do with the availability of more and more beautiful and exotic flowers within the UK.

That is not to say that carnations cannot be incorporated into a beautiful arrangement for Mother’s Day (which will surely be better received than a £1.99 bunch of carnations from the garage – picked up on the way to visit your Mother!)

As well as carnations, (according to the Flower and Plants Association) although they were a popular choice last year - the favourite flower for Mother’s Day was roses, closely followed by summer flowers such as chrysanthemums as well as mixed bouquets (which are always a firm favourite – for Mother’s Day – or any occasion).

Mother's Day - 18^th March?

Mother’s Day is not celebrated on the same day in every country – as is a common belief. Last year the dates ranged from: 12^th February in Norway through to 16^th December in Iran.

Remember... Mother's Day is 18^th March in the UK!
Your mother will not be thrilled on Mother’s Day if you suddenly start to use the traditional dates of another country as an excuse !

Here are a few examples of what we currently have available for Mother’s Day. (Click on the link to go directly to picture etc.) And remember all prices shown are inclusive of UK mainland delivery.

“Mother’s Delight” - SPECIAL OFFER SAVE £1 on Normal Price (you pay £28.99)
Delight your mum with this selection of pink lilies, roses, carnations, germinis and tulips

“Mother’s Love” - Mother’s all love spring flowers. This amazing bouquet of dark blue iris, peach tulips amongst roses and germini will bring them joy. (£34.99) 

“Gypsy Rose” - a lovely alternative to carnations (£34.99)
Pink roses are a favourite with every lady, whatever the occasion. Ten sweet pink roses with stems of white gypsy grass.

Posted by Bob for Viki

Hello,
We are currently in the run up to Valentine's Day and as such the popular highest quality bouquets are selling fast - so fast in fact - that some are already on limited availability.
For example -

"True Love" - a fabulous bouquet consisting of a dozen top grade grand prix red roses with beautiful foliage to match  £44.99 - inclusive of UK delivery.

Our currently best selling bouquet - "One Love" -  a single red rose presented within a bouquet of fresh pink roses, carnations, germini and lilies. £34.99 - again inclusive of UK delivery.

Order now to send  beautiful flowers to your lovely Valentine.

Clare Florist - the No.1 online florist for flower delivery throughout the UK with the perfect flowers to send - whatever the occasion. No fuss next day flowers delivery throughout the UK.

"True Love"            "One Love"

Clare Florist have recently introduced an additional new service for our online clients.

Once you have chosen your beautiful bouquet of flowers to be delivered.

You can then further personalise them by  choosing from a range of cards onto which you add your own message - exactly as you desire.

The process is secure and very simple to use :-
Choose the bouquet of flowers and the date you wish them to be delivered.

Fill in the recipients address, type your personalised message ready to go on the card.
Choose card style from those present as default or from a larger range.

Click Next Page

The "Place your order" page displayed - summarising your order - click Checkout to proceed.

Full details of your order will then be displayed along with a payment form for use with your credit or debit card details. When this has been filled in click the "Make Payment Now" button.

Your flowers will be then be delivered with no fuss by Clare Florist - the florist you can trust.