"Living With Flowers"
By Beth O'Reilly of The Flower Studio in Austin
With today's high-tech, fast paced lifestyles taking a toll on our daily lives, sometimes we must take time "to stop and smell the roses." Nature provides us with a simple way to improve our health and well being. Common sense tells us that flowers make us happy, but research shows that they also have a positive effect on our emotional well being also. They serve as a reminder of nature's bounty and enrich our lives. They give unconditionally and generously and have silent messages to be discovered. One can see harmony and order in their beauty. After all, flowers are the vibrant art of the supreme creator and it is time that we understand the importance flowers have on our lives.
Everyone feels good when they receive flowers, but spending a few days with flowers in your home can affect a wide variety of feelings and moods. Research from The Home Ecology of Flowers Study at Harvard reported that cut flowers are good for you. People feel more compassionate toward others, less worrisome and less anxious when they bring flowers into their home and live with them.
The study shows three major findings. The first is that flowers feed compassion and kindness. They trigger emotions. Their presence leads to increased contact with family and friends and they help to make intimate connections with others.
Secondly, they free up anxiety and worry in the home. People that live with flowers on a regular basis feel less negativity. Flowers heighten satisfaction which affects social behaviors in a positive way.
Lastly, flowers provide a boost of energy. This can be especially helpful in the workplace. The study found that people were happier and more enthusiastic at work when flowers were present in their home environments.
Trying flower therapy in your home is easy. You can add flower power to your environment in a way that matches your personal style and décor. Flowers will immediately brighten up any room. Place flowers in areas where people spend the most amount of time. Kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms are great social and personal areas to display them. You might just find yourself waking up and wanting to see those blooms first thing in the morning. What a way to start the day!
Flowers can be the perfect accessory for any budget. They are readily available from your local florist, grocer, or corner market. There is a difference, however, to the flowers you may buy in the supermarket versus the high end varieties found in most florist shops. Choosing your flower purveyor is critical in guaranteeing the long lasting quality and variety of your blooms. Also, flowers go to auction and there are different qualities of flowers on the auction market. One florist may buy flowers that have been graded a C, while another shop that really wants to emphasize quality over quantity may opt to buy the A varieties.
In today's marketplace, it is really quite amazing what a flower goes through to end up in a flower shop or supermarket display. Flowers are grown all around the world with the most concentrated effort being at the equator which is the perfect growing environment for most cut flowers. The cut flower industry has made great strides in producing flowers year round that used to only be available during certain times of the year. Now a days, flowers are engineered for specific qualities like vase life, color, fragrance, size, shape, petal count, and even the subtle way in which they tilt their head. Ecuadorian roses, for example, can last up to 21 days if taken care of properly. Tropical flowers such as orchids, oriental lilies, birds of paradise, and ginger can also last for up to two weeks. Many lily varieties have been crossed for generations to produce just the right size, shape and color of bloom
Flowers are also meticulously tended to in their growing stages. They are hand cut by workers, packed very carefully, and shipped in a very short span of time. They are shipped by truck, air, and even by bus to reach there destination which is sometimes thousands of miles away and across the ocean. The care that they are given in a floral shop is much like a doctor in a maternity ward. Florists check the newly arrived bundles of joy to see if they are in good health and keep them that way. When a shipment arrives, the florist gets straight to work in order to give the still living dehydrated plants the necessary care they need. When they arrive to the wholesaler or retailer, their journey has really only just begun. They will eventually end up in someone's home, a hospital, a wedding, as a sympathy tribute, or at a simple social gathering. They will become a conversation piece as a table centerpiece or just an inspiration to someone passing by them.
Once you've decided to bring flowers into your own home, showing off your beautiful blooms to their fullest potential is easy. You can keep your flowers healthy with minimal effort. Taking care of your cut flowers can extend the life of your bouquets. Always keep flowers hydrated and re-cut the stems if they have been out of water for any length of time. Stems can seal up within a matter of seconds so it is important to get them into water as soon and the fresh cut is made. Never cut stems with scissors. This damages the stem, crushing it, and it will prevent the flower from being able to take up water properly. Always cut flower stems at an angle, as this provides more surface area for the flower to take up water. Removing any leaves that would be submerged in water will cut back on bacterial growth that can affect the life of the flower. Soft acidic water is best. Changing the water daily and trimming the stems frequently will also keep bacteria from living at the stem entrance. Don't put them on top of radiators, keep them away from heater and air conditioning vents, and don't put them in window sills when the full sun is coming through during the day.
Creating a statement with flowers can be a simple as selecting monochromatic flowers in all one color palette or monobotanic meaning an arrangement of all one type of flower. For a contemporary look, group several vases together with just one or two stems in each. Mixing art pieces such as paintings and sculptures with flower arrangements draws more impact to the flowers. Also, heirloom pieces like china, antique tea pots, crystal bowls, and pitchers can be a creative and fascinating way to casually display flowers in your home. Choosing soothing colors like blues and greens has a tranquil affect, while bright reds and oranges are far more sensual and passionate. Yellow and peaches evoke a sense of nurturing and pinks are sure to set off a romantic mood. Each color choice has a vibrational wavelength, thus emitting energy into the room.
There is an innate sense of beauty in flowers. They are inspirations from nature. They are a metaphor of our own existence; prone to degradation yet maintaining strength, sustenance, and livelihood. Their ephemeral quality is part of their beauty. They are here for only a short existence to bring joy and to touch people's lives. Yes, they wither away and die but the impact they can have on our lives is impressive and worth giving flowers in your home a try.
