What is your favorite flower?
On the face of it, this could be the easiest question – everyone loves pretty flowers. But, when I stopped to think about it, it became apparent it wasn’t as straightforward as it might seem.
Well everyone likes a soft velvety red rose, don’t they? What’s not to like about tenderly overlapping petal perfection? Nothing really, unless they come in bunches of 12 on or around Valentine’s Day or from the hand of someone with far more money than imagination.
What about chrysanthemums? Not called mums for nothing – mumsy, inelegant and just a bit ‘so what?’ I know, I’d like the flower called mom to be the most special of them all too, but it isn’t.
Equally, for me carnations are rubbish. They remind me of the miserable blooms put in tiny vases on the tables of a restaurant I worked in as a student. Intended to raise the establishment up a notch, I don’t think anyone else noticed them.
Tulips are fresh and lush, but not here all year round. Daffs too – with their sunny little heads are splendid for a week or so, then elbowed aside by mainstream summertime varieties.
Lilies smell divine, but, really, they’re ever so slightly, well, naff, aren’t they? Posher types might go for a bucket of hyacinth.
Gerberas – daisies with ambition – once a novelty (like cherry tomatoes or red onions) now they’re everywhere. Not exactly a grown up flower though.
If gerberas were jumped up, brassicas stock is on the rise – the cabbage just got pretty… for now. It won’t last.
Ignoring the upstarts, there’s a trio of old-fashioned gals. Antirrhinum, delphinium and gladioli will never be caught without their corsets tightly laced up.
I once had a husband who loathed nasturtiums – actually despised them. Didn’t like to be in a room with them. In hindsight, extreme negative emotion toward a species of flower is something that mustn’t be brushed aside. However, you live and learn…
So picking a favorite flower, best bloom or preferred petal is an impossible task. Though, if you were considering sending me some you can be confident that sending flowers is always better than not sending them.
I was asked to ponder my favorite flower by The Flower Council who have launched a Favourite Flower campaign.
They said: “The aim of the Favourite Flower campaign is to show that a flower is not just a present (and not just a bouquet of flowers), but a special present, because when you know or try to think about what flower is your friends favorite then it makes the present very personal and special".
They have a game that can help you pick your favourite flower. The game is one that involves videos of scantily clad men working in a greenhouse and helping with the flower selection. It's horribly sexist and entirely unnecessary when selling something as lovely as flowers. I'm sure The Flower Council could have done better - maybe more blogger engagement and fewer objectified men...
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