If bold, bright and beautiful is your thing, you’re going to love summer flowers.
Whether to say ‘get well soon,’ ‘congratulations,’ or simply as a gift to show someone how much you appreciate them, the burst of colour you get from the seasonal flowers in summer will brighten anyone’s day.
What are the best flowers for your summer bouquet? We’re so pleased you asked!
Sunflowers
Let’s start with everyone’s favourite – sunflowers.
Sunflowers get their name from the Greek words helios (sun) and anthos (flower). To extend the sun references even further, sunflowers are heliotropic, which means they turn their flowers to follow the sun from the east to the west. If you’ve ever grown sunflowers and wondered why the heads keep moving, this is why!
There are many varieties and colours of sunflower. The most common variety are the sunflowers we all know and love with the bright yellow leaves and brown centres heavy with bee-attracting seeds. But sunflowers aren’t always yellow – there are also red, orange, maroon and brown sunflowers, and even a teddy bear variety that looks kind of fluffy (hence the name).
Peonies
Peony season doesn’t last anywhere near long enough – they only bloom for a few weeks between April and June – so get these fabulously flamboyant flowers while you can.
Peonies may not be around for long but, what they lack in longevity, they make up for in fun facts. Check these out:
● Peonies symbolise good fortune, beauty and a happy marriage.
● Peonies are Meghan Markle’s favourite flower so, if they’re good enough for the Megster, they’re good enough for us, right?
● This might sound a bit weird, but peonies love a massage! If your peonies aren’t opening up as fast as you’d like them to, gently massage the buds at the neck of the stem and place them in the sun.
Stocks
Stocks are a member of the Brassicaceae family of plants that includes cabbages. Don’t let that put you off though, stocks have a rightful place in your summer bouquet and we promise they don’t smell of cabbages! In fact, stocks have a pleasant sweet and spicy scent and are one of the most fragrant flowers around.
Okay, so that’s what stocks smell like but what do they look like? There are around 50 varieties of stocks in a huge spectrum of colours, including subtle shades of white, pink and lavender, as well as rich, deep jewel tones of red, purple, and blue.
Craspedia
If you like your flowers a little on the quirky side, you’re going to love craspedia, especially when we tell you they’re also known as ‘Billy Buttons’ and ‘Woollyheads’. They also go by the name of ‘Golf Beauty’ and when you see them, you’ll know why.
These fun yellow blooms will certainly be a talking point in your bouquet!
Gladioli
People of a certain age will forever associate gladioli with Morrissey’s back pocket. Don’t let this put you off though, gladioli are an elegant, beautiful bloom that completely deserves its place in your summer bouquet.
Often known as sword lilies with their long, pointed leaves and tall flower spikes, gladioli look amazing on their own or combined with other flowers.
Freesia
Freesias were discovered by botanist Christian P. Ecklonare, who named them after his friend, German botanist and medical practitioner, Friedrich Freese. This is a touching story for sure, but a slightly more fun fact is that freesias are zygomorphic, which means their flowers only grow on one side of the stalk. This may or may not come up in your local pub quiz but, nevertheless, it’s a handy fact to whip out when you want to impress someone.
When it comes to flowers with meaning, freesias have you covered. Each colour of freesia has its own meaning, such as white to represent purity and innocence, purple to symbolise royalty and beauty, and pink to signify femininity and love.
However, if you’re after a strong scent and aren’t fussed about symbolism, then red and pink freesias have the strongest perfume.
Alstroemeria
Alstroemeria, also known as the Peruvian Lily, symbolises wealth, prosperity and good fortune. They’ll also bring you more good fortune if you have a pollen allergy, as they have no scent, so go ahead and give these seasonal flowers a good sniff.
Alstroemeria come in a wide variety of colours, except blue and green, and the leaves on the stem grow upside down, although nobody knows why this is (or if they do, they’re keeping it to themselves).
Gypsophila (Baby’s Breath)
Gypsophila are part of the carnation family and get their alternative name of Baby’s Breath because of their popularity as a baby shower gift. As for their formal name of gypsophila, this literally means ‘gypsum-loving’ because of gypsophila’s love of soil high in gypsum.
These beautiful little flowers are only available in pink and white but, on the plus side, this means they’ll complement any other flower in your summer bouquet.
Goldenrod
Despite its name, goldenrod isn’t a character from a James Bond movie, it’s a fluffy rod-like flower made up of golden yellow blooms that will add a bold splash of colour to your summer bouquet.
Like lavender, goldenrod also has many uses other than sitting around looking pretty. If you’re feeling peaky, put down the PG Tips and brew some goldenrod tea to aid digestion, soothe a sore throat and combat fatigue.
Lavender
Lavender needs no introduction. We all know what lavender is and what it smells like. Still, it would be a bit mean to not give it a bit of a write up, so here are some fun facts about lavender:
● Lavender is said to bring devotion, luck, success and happiness.
● The ancient Egyptians used lavender during the mummification process over 2500 years ago.
● Lavender is the Swiss-army knife of flowers and can be used to relieve aches and pains, to deter insects and other pests in your home and can even be used in baking.
● Lavender comes in many colours, not just the purple we mostly associate lavender with.
