The Global Man’s Flowers Guide

OK guys, Mother’s Day is coming up and this is another one of those occasions that you simply can not drop the ball on so get on it early, order the right flowers ahead of time, and then enjoy the day by either calling or visiting you mother. To help you deal with the anxiety we’ve put together your complete flower guide to give you some fresh ideas on what’s trending now, some strong ideas for others in your life that you may want to share the thought, and a quick protocol lesson for those that may be sending flowers in a unique situation.

Mother’s Day – One type of flower that has always been a staple for Mother’s Day is the Carnation, in fact, Mother’s Day founder Anna Jarvis, herself during the first Mother’s Day memorial service in 1907 distributed white carnations. One reason is the array of colors they bloom as carnations are one of the rare flowers that can be “color bred”. The original natural flower color is bright pinkish-purple, but cultivars of other colors, including red, white, purple, orange, yellow and green, and many others have been developed. So for Mother’s Day if you know of your Mom’s favorite color and it’s available then that’s a great option which also shows how much attention you’ve put into the day. Mixing the colors with carnations is also a good idea as you can have some eye-catching combinations put together that will really make an impact. However if you are sending a mono-chromatic bouquet then there is some protocol you should follow in regards to color and meaning:

 

Red – The color red has long been associated with the feelings of love and admiration. It has become synonymous to ‘love’.

Light Red – Presented to convey admiration and adoration. They do not necessarily represent the strong passionate emotions of love, rather a softer and subtle expression.

Dark Red – Enunciate the profound sentiments of love and affection. They have the similar meaning as that of Red Roses, however, traditionally speaking, Red Roses epitomize love.

Pink – Although often correlated with young girls, Pink actually is primarily the symbol of fondness and motherly love.

Light Pink – Carnations symbolize Mother-like love and express gratitude.

Dark Pink – Carnations are presented to express tenderness and fondness. In some cases, they can also be used to express sentiments of blooming love on a first date.

White – White is considered a color of purity, luck, and good fortune. Thus presenting white carnations to someone conveys the message of love and/or a prosperous life. It can both be presented to newborns, someone starting something new in their life such as a career or new relationship, and also given to elders on their birthdays.

Purple – Be careful with this one. Purple carnations are often very cool colors that you want to give based purely on esthetics but purple also indicate capriciousness, implying purple carnations usually convey condolence for the unfortunate circumstance. They can also be presented to seek apology.

Yellow – Once again, can be a cool color, especially in Spring but you should probably stay away from unless mixed as yellow carnations send a negative message to the recipient. They convey a word of ‘disappointment’ and even rejection. You should present them to someone you dislike or if you want to breakup.

Solid colors – say, “yes”,

Striped carnations – These are complicated so you’re better off sending a text. Traditionally striped carnations are a way of saying “no” and express a refusal, however can also mean “sorry I cannot be with you”, “I wish I could”.

Mini carnations – mean pure love or “my heart yearns for you”.

The take away is carnations are the way to go on Mother’s Day, just put together a nice bouquet of different colors and you can’t go wrong. If you’re sending flowers to someone else, particularly to send an additional message then we have some other flowers that might hit the mark a little better and some circumstances to use them coming up next…..