Everybody agrees that decorating with flowers makes venues and places more lively and inviting. Flower arrangements look really fantastic, and often make an occasion feel special. But which type of flowers should you select: fresh or artificial flowers?

Part 1: Fresh Flowers

Traditionally speaking, fresh flowers are the way to go. Floral shapes, scents, colors & general aesthetics all contribute to creating a great atmosphere. There is a lot of several choices, but it all depends on the season.

Still, you should also consider that fresh flowers don’t last forever & probably cost more. Fresh flowers need maintenance & constant care. You should consult your florist which flowers are in season and available locally, simply because flowers that aren’t in season and/or imported are usually more expensive. This way, you can have high-class, fresh floral arrangements without having to spend a too much money.

Part 2: Artificial Flowers

There are many types of artificial flowers to choose from. The most popular these days are silk flowers. They are great because they require little maintenance, and are are very affordable and realistic. Aside from requiring only minimal cleaning, some people claim not being able to guess that they are artificial without taking a very close look!

Flowers have a universal appeal, and bouquets are common gift items given or received on occasions like weddings or a felicitation ceremony. However, the biggest issue with a flower bunch is that once the flowers and leaves dry up, they not only lose their beauty but in fact begin looking ugly. It might seem to be a good idea to purchase artificial flowers to prevent them from going bad, but real flowers have something special that fake ones can never duplicate.

Though it is not possible to keep bouquets fresh for eternity, you can take some steps to ensure that their vibrancy is not lost too soon. Here are some suggestions that will ensure that your flowers stay fresh for a longer span.

Firstly, you should discuss with your florist about the life time of the flowers that are in your bouquet, as some varieties such as sunflower, have smaller periods of bloom than flowers like lilies and roses. You have to tell your florist to put only such flowers in the bunch that will not wither away too soon.

Even in the past, flowers have been used to send messages of joy, love, affection, & even discontent. As a matter of fact, they have been used as a coded language traced back to the Victorian era, called floriography. Whatever the occasion, flowers could be the most effective & nearly fool-proof way of saying what you feel. Here are 10 reasons why you may want to send a flower arrangement to someone special to you:

1. Birthdays – A nice bouquet of flowers is a nice way of letting a birthday celebrator know that she is special. A lot of times, these bouquets are accompanied by fancy wrappers & balloons.

2. Graduation – Sending flowers for someone’s graduation is a fantastic way to acknowledge this person’s day of achievement.

3. Valentine’s Day or Anniversary – The traditional “dozen red roses” couldn’t be any more romantic on special days like this. Some florists even offer chocolates or teddy bears to be included in the arrangement.

4. Housewarming – A decorative and beautiful flower bouquet, or even a fruit & flower arrangement, will bring life and color to a new home.

A visit to a florist for the correct bouquet may be a nerve-racking experience, as every flower shop gives you loads of choices. But the good news is that you can reduce your options keeping the event in consideration, as different flowers have different meanings associated with them and thus each is suited for a particular event. Once you are aware of this meaning, you would be able to narrow down your options to a small set, from which you can easily select your bouquet.

The concept of flowers reflecting states of mind has been around for several years, with the Victorians believing in it more enthusiastically than the people of other eras. Red roses stand for fidelity in love, and yellow roses represent love that is less physical and more like friendship. Even tulips and carnations in their range of colours, each have an unique message to convey.

Birthdays are generally a time for sending bold and brightly coloured flowers. For anniversaries, like 25 years, the most appropriate are luxurious and formal bouquets with a suitable color scheme. To observe a birth, pink flowers are an apparent option for a girl, and orange or yellow flowers for a boy. The type of flower most suitable for all these affairs are gerberas, these are bright and bold flowers..

The term bouquet is a French derivative and means a floral arrangement. It is essentially a form of designing and wrapping carried out with a cluster of flowers to serve as a gift-item on a special occasion.

Preparation of bouquets has been usually regarded as an art form that needs loads of patience and persistence to learn and cultivate. It is known as floristry, and it deals with an elegant floral tapestry with the help of leaves, flowers, herbs and even stems.

Bouquet making begins with choosing the suitable flowers for clustering and then trimming them so that they can be arranged into a bouquet. Then the withered leaves are separated and a particular floral design is made, after which they are clustered and wrapped.

Every florist has his own unique design, which is dependant on the occasions for which the bouquets are being prepared. Other factors which determine the outcome of a particular bouquet are the abundance (or dearth) of flowers in that specific season and the desired cost of the bouquet.

It is also noteworthy that the very same variety of flowers can assume contrasting meanings in some cultures in various parts of the globe. Hence, choosing the right bouquet for an occasion requires a lot of thinking, particularly if the recipient belongs to a different culture.

Dating back to historical times, flowers have been used as a profession of kindness. We usually give them to those we love. We give flowers to show them how important they are, to show appreciation, to celebrate an occasion, or even to sympathize. What we don’t know is that giving certain kinds of flowers, and even their colors, actually have meanings of their own.

The Language of Flowers

During medieval and Renaissance times, flowers were often given moral meanings. This is evident in art where saints are often depicted with flowers that symbolize the saints’ virtues. “Some of the Christian symbols for Virginity or Chastity are the white rose, the myrtle, a vessel or vase, the lily, and the unicorn,” says Liana DeGirolami Cheney in an edition of Sixteenth Century Journal.

Back in Victorian times, flowers were used initially to create or add emotion. The language of flowers, sometimes called floriography, began being used as a discreet form of communication. During the 18th century, sending cyphered messages using flowers became popular. Based on Persian Salaam, a Turkish secret language of flowers, a coded bouquet was sent to profess feelings of attraction, even love.

When it comes to making your near and dear ones happy, no other gift for them can be as appropriate or as expressive of your personal feelings as a bunch of flowers. If you are confused as to what gift to choose for your loved one on a specific event, you can always opt for flowers. In addition to the retail stores, various online stores that sell flowers are much in vogue nowadays, and the credit for this goes to the popularity and increasing use of the internet for shopping purposes.

An online florist offers a quite different kind of service than florists with a shop. An online florist focuses on prompt service and delivery, whereas, offline ones can provide you a service that is more personalized for your requirements. The immense popularity of online florists is driven by several reasons, some of which are mentioned below.

The most important advantage of availing the services of an online florist is that you are not required to leave your residence to complete the purchase. This saves time for modern customers having busy lives, as they can make a purchase from the comfort of their house. You can therefore order flowers for your loved ones by a single mouse click, without fussing over what to wear, or whether your car can get you to the store without running out of fuel.

Long before the invention of metal ornaments, women put on flowers to adorn themselves. Since ancient times people have used flowers with vibrant colours and fragrances to enhance their attractiveness. In almost all major civilizations that the world has witnessed, there is proof of women and sometimes even men wearing flowers in their hair.

There are as many kinds of floral fragrances in nature as there are flowers. Colour, shape and scent are the three factors that have influenced the different moods that different flowers generate in humans, and this in turn has decided which flower would fit which occasion. Perfume makers have extracted different floral scents and have trapped them in vials for centuries, and the sheer diversity of these scents available in nature has helped them to create an endless variety of perfumes. However, now the demand for flowers in perfume manufacturing is somewhat falling as artificial ingredients have started replacing them.

Internationally, people like to express how they feel through actual speech, gestures, or through presents that directly or indirectly express their sincere messages. The proliferation of flower boutiques world-wide reflects the significance that people share with flowers in terms of passing them as presents or as a tool to pass on messages that they like to show in a more brilliant means.

Just as music is stated as a universal language, flowers are also universal not just because they are seen world-wide but likewise because they are what people ordinarily give to supporters and loved ones to express their feelings. Flowers are distributed for various causes and happenings: as natal day or anniversary presents, conveyance of sympathy, affectionate items, among many others.

Ordering flowers and passing them as presents may as well be extremely handy and can even spare a person’s face particularly during desperate times of searching for an immediate gift after neglecting a loved one’s natal day or their anniversary. Presenting flowers as gifts in such occasions can effectively cover for the fact that the sender forgot and nearly overlooked the particular date. Naturally, it is a completely different account when the particular date in question is past. In such a case, flowers can alternatively be given as an apologia to constitute for the sender’s forgetfulness.

Flowers are really popular to send to loved ones on special occasions such as Valentines Day, Mother’s Day, weddings, and anniversaries. Places such as offices and homes are more lively and comfortable when flowers are used as decorations. These gifts of nature smell and look fantastic, which makes them so great. They have bright colors, unique shapes, and they have the most wonderful smells only nature can provide.

The only problem? Fresh flowers don’t stay fresh for long especially if you don’t take care of them well. Not everyone are florists and gardeners, here are some ways to extend the life of your bouquets:

- If possible, use floral foam or flower food in your vases instead of just water. These can be bought from and/or provided by your florist.

- Remember to always use a clean vase with ample space, and use clear water every day. Once the flower food solution or water becomes cloudy, replace it all immediately.