Flower Facts

Flowers can make your yard much more attractive.

If you want to use cut flowers in your home decor or are considering growing a garden, getting the facts on flowers will help you to care for them properly. Learning about flowers will also make you aware of their meanings and their other uses besides ornamentation.

Types

Various flowers have specific characteristics that you'll need to know for growing or display purposes. For instance, tulips have a lifespan of up to seven days, so they're only suitable for short-term centerpieces. Chrysanthemums can last up to 14 days or more as an indoor centerpiece and grow in various sizes, from the smallest blooms at about 1/2 inch, to the largest ones at 10 inches across.

Significance

Certain flowers have symbolic meanings derived from legends. During the Victorian period, a "language of flowers" was developed, wherein a message could be ascribed to a particular type of flower. Roses are a flower that have long been associated with romance and different rose colors are given as gifts to express messages from "I love you" to "Thank you." The accent flower that is often arranged with roses, baby's breath, is a flower that means happiness, making a rose bouquet especially meaningful. Other examples include daisies and goldenrod, blooms that signify innocence and good fortune, respectively.

Fun Facts

In the Netherlands in the 1600s, "tulip mania" took hold after the introduction of the flower from Turkey. Prices escalated to almost 4,000 guilders for a single bulb. While tulips never commanded such a high price again, some flowers are valuable in other ways--they are edible. Cooking with flowers was popular in ancient Rome as well as in Chinese, Middle Eastern and Indian cultures. Nasturtium blooms can be added to salads. The crocus flower is the source of the culinary seasoning saffron, while broccoli heads are actually the "flower" of the plant.

References

• iFlorist: Flower Meanings
• 20 20 Site: Fun Facts About Flowers