Flowers for Florists

As a florist, one of the things I hear from time to time is, “Well, I would have got you flowers, but if you wanted some I figured you would have gotten them from work, and you know more about flowers than I do anyway.”

Now, this may be the right approach for some florists. Some florists view being given flowers as taking work home with them. The flowers might be beautiful, but their stems still need to be cut, their vase will have to be washed out, and I don’t like to do filing on my days off either, thank you very much. I’ve stayed in florists’ homes that were so bereft of greenery that I planted the sprouted garlic in the fridge for a little company.

Then again, there are the florists like me who became florists because of a passion for blooms. If I ever have to give up buying and growing flowers it may require a twelve step program. It doesn’t matter that I work with them all day, I still want to be surrounded by plants and flowers when I go home at night. I get excited to see every new variation that nature creates – the bloom colour that sometimes grows on the leaf of a calla lily, the soft blush on the reiger begonias…

So when I came home my university graduation and found that my co-workers had sent me a gorgeous bouquet I was so excited. Flowers for me! Look at how beautiful it is… Cherry Brandy roses, pale yellow alstromeria, yellow calla lilies, deep red lilies, eremurus, green dianthus, stock… it makes me smile every time I come in the door.