Flowers remain an expression of love, caring, and affection, regardless of the holiday. However, certain holidays rank as the day when most flowers are purchased. The Christmas and Hanukkah season in the time when the highest amount of floral items are purchased, with Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day close behind.
30% of adults purchase flowers or plants as gifts for the holiday season. Christmas flowers can include Poinsettia, mistletoe, holly, and ivy, and form some very attractive arrangements and decorations. The standard mix of red and green lends itself well for house decorations and Christmas parties.
Mother’s Day accounts for 25% of floral purchases made for holidays. About a third of adults bought flowers and gifts for Mother’s Day in 2015. Mother’s Day flowers have a great deal of variety, from rose arrangements to tulips and even to sunflowers. The arrangements of flower bouquets date back centuries, even to 2500 BC.
Valentine’s Day comes in as the number one holiday for florists. And while a man presenting a woman with a bouquet of roses is the most indelible image, some statistics buck that trend. About 15% of American women send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day and the American Society of Florists reveals that 36% of women surveyed purchased Valentine’s flowers for their spouse.
There are many avenues when searching for the right flowers to send to a loved one. While visiting a local florist in the past made shopping for flowers a more personalized experience, today many shops have the option of flower delivery through the florist’s website or by completing an order over the phone.
Visiting flower shops though has its perks. Being able to see the arrangements in person or notice small details such as the smell can lead to purchasing a better gift. And if you are picking out flowers for yourself, a visit to the local florist seems necessary for the right fit.
The annual spending on floral products in the United States is nearly $27 billion. Flowers often account for around 8% of a wedding budget and around 60% of weddings have a flower girl. While sending flowers as a gift is the dominating troupe, 63% of flowers are actually purchased by someone for themselves, with the other 37% being purchased as gifts.
Certain types of flowers have become associated with particular holidays. Red roses, for instance, are associated strongly with Valentine’s Day because of their symbol for love and devotion. The mistletoe is associated strongly with Christmas if just for that single act of kissing under the mistletoe.
A necessary and interesting exercise in some cases is researching the different types of flowers and what they symbolize. It can lead to more informed choices for holidays like Valentine’s Day or for big events like weddings. Learning about the different flowers can make going to a local florist a more enriching experience.
