Five Cool New Floral Trends

As times change, so do all of our preferences … television shows fall in and out of favor, flared pants become fashionable, then disgusting, then fashionable again, and people in general think about life differently. Floral trends are one of the expressions of social change -- today we are looking at five of the top trends in fresh flowers.

1. Green flowers

Green flowers look different, fresh, and very individual. People want something that expresses their individuality, especially as the forces of globalization make us feel even more than we are one among billions. Green flowers like orchids, cybidiums, green ranunculus and super green roses have become especially popular for all sorts of occasions.

2. Boutonnieres for men

Once upon a time, roses were all that it was acceptable for men to wear as boutonnieres. Anything else would have been seen as being overly fascinated with flowers, a feminine trait … sort of like wearing a dress! Nowadays men can do whatever they like with their boutonniere decorations without fear of judgement. After all, men happily wear pink shirts, get facials, and buy guyliner by the bucketload. Perhaps male dresses aren’t so far away!

3. Floating flowers

Camellias are popular for this effect, because they don't tip over and float bottoms-up in the bowl! However there are other flowers that can achieve the same beautiful effect, floating in a bowl of water alongside tealight candles in similar bowls. Ask your florist which are suitable.

4. Color therapy through flowers

There has been much ado about color therapy in recent times -- the idea (however tenuous scientifically) is that the vibrations of different colors help create a certain mood. Even if nothing physically happens, the placebo effect of believing that your fresh flowers are improving your life can be significant -- why not try?

5. Using petals

Petals make a gorgeous decoration, with a little more earthiness and innocence than a full flower bouquet provides. It's a very hot trend right now.

Just for Fun: Hidden Messages in Flowers!

The idea of coding messages in flowers is such a fun one! Victorians originally started doing this as a way to send secret love notes, before email and the delete button were invented. It can be such a delight to arrange a bouquet of flowers that not only looks good, but means something in a secret language for your loved ones. We are looking at the meanings of flowers and their suitability for different holidays throughout the year. Remember that this isn’t a hard and fast guide -- only a fun way of seeing the beautiful flower through new eyes!

For Mother's Day

• Heather and lavender indicate admiration, something you are sure to feel for your Mom
• Holly represents domestic happiness, and is a defence and protection also.
• Moss represents maternal love and charity
• Nasturtium represents maternal love also; its secondary meanings are conquest, victory in battle, charity and patriotism … all qualities necessary for the running of a household!
• Orchid flower bouquets represent love, beauty, refinement and are the symbol of a beautiful lady
• Peach is for longevity
• Strawberries represent perfect goodness … and are a tasty edible addition to a flower bouquet!

For birthdays

• The bells of Ireland represent good luck -- a nice way to start another year of life!
• Baby's breath represents everlasting love -- as much for friends as for lovers
• Cattails are supposed to represent peace and prosperity
• Chrysanthemums are one of the ultimate friendship flowers -- they simply say "You're a wonderful friend!"
• Forget-me-not flower bouquets are a symbol of memories -- remember the past on the eve of the future
• Forsythia is a symbol of anticipation -- of good things to come, hopefully!
• Sunflowers represent loyalty and good wishes

Valentines

• Pink roses mean perfect happiness
• Stephanotis represents marital bliss!
• A single, full bloom rose is a symbol of mature love, no matter what the ages of the couple
• Magenta zinnia also represents lasting affection
• Giving primrose flower bouquets tells a person that you can't live without them

Six Sweet New Baby Flower Bouquets

Aside from trying to make up to your wife after you forgot an anniversary, the arrival of a new baby is one of the most common excuses to send gorgeous fresh flowers! The little bundle's skin is rose-petal-soft … their toes furl like green tendrils, and some of the time they have the same gorgeous perfume. Yes, only some of the time! Today we are celebrating new babies through flowers, and looking at our favorite online flowerbaskets for new arrivals.

We love this Blue Horizons online flower bouquet because of the strong colors -- flowers can be seen as a feminine gift, so if you want to celebrate the little boy and treat his Mom at the same time, this is the way to do it! It's a mid-range bouquet, and while the greenery is quite long lasting the lilies and irises are a little softer -- order it when you know they'll be arriving home!

This flower bouquet is presented in a sweet glass baby block, which makes for a handy way to keep hospital keepsakes together, like birth tags, cord clips and first photos. It is made up of delphiniums, tulips and carnations, and you can get both the block and the flowers in a pink selection as well as blue.

The flowers won’t last forever, but the bear will be an adorable reminder of their beauty! This online flower bouquet includes chrysanthemums, roses and asters, arranged in a gorgeous, flowing way. It is big on looks, but little in the price department -- one of the most affordable new baby bouquets available.

Another way to keep the memory of the flowers long after they have gone from the vase, the cute, sturdy and lovable wooden elephant doubles as a toy for the baby later on. The bouquet utilizes white roses, white button spray chrysanthemums and assorted greenery. You can get the elephant in blue also.

Are you ordering flowers before you know the gender of the baby? The Sunny Smiles bouquet is a great alternative to the usual pink and blue. The bright yellow tones in this online flower bouquet provide inspiration, energy and notes of sunshine when it is needed most … on first sleepless nights and in a hospital bed.

After the Flowers Have Gone: How to Make a Rose Facial Mask

Fresh flowers are such a treat -- but while there are a few things you can do to extend the life of your cut flowers, they always seem to come and go so quickly! If you've recently received a bunch of roses, or roses among your fresh flowers, look at ways to keep enjoying their heavenly perfume and gorgeous softness beyond when they start withering. Here's how to make and enjoy different formulations of rose petal facial masks for different skin types.

Rose petal, oatmeal and honey facial mask

Blend 1/8 cup of rose petals with 1/3 cup of oatmeal, 4 tablespoons of honey and a teaspoon of rose water. Clean your face before applying the mask -- spread it over your face and neck, and relax for half an hour. It will wash off with warm water. This will make enough for several masks, and you'll need to store the rest of the mixture in the fridge and use it within a couple of weeks. Not only have your fresh flowersbeautified your home, but they've beautified you also!

Rose petal, strawberry and yogurt mask

Rose petals make for a soothing addition to this quite astringent mask. Add 1/8 cup of rose petals to 1/4 cup of strawberries and 1/4 cup of either natural yogurt or sour cream. Use fresh strawberries -- they have many more active compounds than frozen ones do. Wash this off after fifteen minutes.

Banana, rose, honey and lemon mask

Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? Fresh flowers like rose petals have also been added to food for centuries. This facial mask uses 1 banana, a tablespoon of honey, a few drops of orange or lemon juice and 1/8 cup of rose petals.

You'll notice that most of the facial mask recipes call for only 1/8 cup of petals. This means that one flower delivery bunch can make quite a few different masks! Mix up the recipes and share them out among your friends -- spread the love, just like your fresh flowers did in the first place.

Florist's Favorite Flower Bouquets

We all know what we like in flowers … a strong scent, nice colors, nothing with spikes … the possibilities are endless. Your florist spends all day around flowers, creating floral concoctions from the dreamy, to the earthy, to the divine. They've seen thousands of bouquets of red roses and hundreds of orchid arrangements. So what is pushing your favorite flower shop owner's buttons right now?

Indian Summer

Anything seasonal will be a firm favorite of your florist … despite being stuck in the back of a shop all day, this profession is surprisingly in tune with nature! The Indian Summer Bouquet pictured has oak leaves and feathery millet to complement the rich colors, giving the bouquet an earthy feel.

Uniquely Chic

This Teleflora bouquet has become a favorite of florists because it is a favorite of customers at the moment! Orange really is a color of the moment, in everything from fashion, to corporate logos … to bouquets. Carnations and roses are best friends, especially in this bouquet, and the Asiatic lilies break up the frilliness perfectly.

Dish garden with pinks plant

As much as they are creators of bouquets and artful arrangers, there is nothing that most florists love more than having flowers in their natural setting … surrounded by lush greenery in a little slice of the outdoors. This dish garden comes with fern and ivy as background, and pink kalanchoe and astrolomeria as color highlights.

Azalea topiary flowers

Teleflora florists are loving the return to our grandmother's time with these azalea topiary flowers. Another way to bring the outside in, it is absolute luxury to have an indoor topiary … in a much more affordable and less maintenance-hungry format.

Passionate Reds Flowers

People can love romance without liking roses -- and that is what this Teleflora bouquet achieves for florists. The asters, carnations, tulips and hypericum convey just as much passion and fire, but also cost only a fraction of what roses do.

Simply Roses

Roses can be simple and stand alone without being in a boring, overdone traditional bouquet. This little rose garden has all the heady scent of these old favorites, in a new style design. What other arrangement will you find grass in … let alone bordering sweet red roses?

Zensational flowers

Zen is all about appreciating simplicity - and it's obvious from this arrangement why the philosophy is a winner with your florist! You appreciate every line and furl of the cymbidium orchids when that is all you see. The bottom of the glass is lined with tall green leaves.

Wedding Flower Trends for 2010

White roses are classic, sure, and will always be part of many wedding parties. But nowadays, more people are looking for individuality rather than traditionalism in their choice of wedding flowers. Today, we are looking beyond roses, beyond white and beyond pink to see what awesome ideas the brides of today are having for their wedding flowers!

Color!

This is the most important development in wedding flowers for the year. Colored bouquets have slowly been gaining ground against the traditional white roses or pretty pink posy for a while now. We're starting to see bold colors come into their own -- and not only traditionally feminine colors like bright purples and pinks. If you’re a fiery bride, why not choose an orange and yellow burst of color for your wedding flowers?

Tall bouquets

Bouquets are branching out from the traditional round shaping, or even the round-with-cascades shaping. These tall, swaying bouquets are long and graceful, and so du jour.

Fruit as flowers

While fruit would technically not be in the realm of wedding flowers, it is a gorgeous way to bring strong scents and a luscious freshness to your wedding. Celebrity florists like Kevin Lee are utilizing fruit (citrus especially) in their themed weddings. Your own florist can do an excellent job at a quarter of the price.

Petals

Petals often carry much of the scent of the flower itself, and are a very individual way to incorporate flowers in your wedding. You can scatter petals over where you'll be standing in the ceremony, around the plates on the tables at the reception, and even on yourself -- in your veil and on your shoulders. Petals can be a little cheaper than flowers, because second-grade flowers can still be used to produce first-grade result. Ask your florist!

Greenery

As in the picture, greenery is making a comeback … and not just in the stems of your flowers! Gorgeous green petals and feathery leaves can create a tangible sense of freshness for your wedding. It's a great way to help you express the fact that it’s the dawn of a new era.

Unusual shapings

Your bridal bouquet can be anything you want it to be -- even a life-size basketball made of flowers hanging from a string! This is just one of the many original ideas for wedding flowers that your florist no doubt has. Flower-covered baskets are becoming popular too, in the same vein!