Favourite flowers and why

[Sparrow]

Dear Ladies, I am training to be a florist, so I have the privilege of being surrounded with blooms every day (at least for the next 9 weeks until I qualify). I'd like to know about your favourite flowers - what is the story behind you liking them so much?

I'm a sucker for daffodils as they remind me of the Yorkshire Dales, but my favourites to have in bowls around the house are tulips. They move around so much, you'd swear they'd been gossiping overnight. I love the rich dark colours of sweet williams and the fragrance of freesias. For drama I adore the variety of proteas.

Er, managed to find a picture of flowers for my avatar, so farewell camel:)

[Crocus]

I love the crocus, because the first time we visited the UK these pretty flowers were blooming all over the fields, next to the roads etc. They actually remind me of a tulip.
I also love the Scottish thistle, I'm not quite sure why, it's just such a pretty flower. Daffodils as well. On our wedding anniversary (on a visit to the UK!) my husband bought me a bunch of daffodils and gave it to me in a little church we always visit. That was very special to me. So yes, daffodils are also a favourite.

[franbee]

I love scented flowers like freesias, sweet williams pinks and stocks. Fran.

[eleanor2]

hubby bought me a bunch of lillies the other day. they are better than an air freshener.strong aromatic smell wafting through the air. in a bouquet i like roses and iris.lots of greenery too.

[Pippa]

I am quite envious of you doing a floristry course, hope you enjoy it. I love old fashioned pinks (dianthus) and lily-of-the valley, very old fashioned and wonderful scent.

[SummerSkye]

I love all flowers and it is hard to pick a favourite. In the house I love a huge vase of liliums with their overpowering perfume for drama but a vase of mixed flowers from the garden is hard to beat. I never pick my tulips as they last longer in the pot they are flowering now, I have a pot of mixed black, white and pinky (Angelique) just outside the door.

[Oola]

I didn't use to like them much, but I've grown quite fond of the strong coloured dahlias. Gladioli and sweet peas remind me a lot of my late grandfather - he was out in his garden everyday but was really a veg man, and those were really the only two flowers he grew. I also love daffs (got some pheasant eye daffodils to put in for spring), purple sensation alliums, allium christophii (star allium I think?), echinaecha, salvias, cornflowers, irises... basically I love anything that's colourful, striking and attracts lots of bees, butterflies and bugs.

[SheepyJames]

What a wonderful thing to be doing, Sparrow. Good luck with it. I love them all, but my favourite is daffodils. It's that explosion of colour after the winter. We plant them by the sackful here and it's just wonderful when the spring arrives. I also love sweetpeas for cutting, and I agree with Oola about dahlias - I love the Bishop of Llandaff and the Bishop's Children - strong colours and dark foliage - wonderful with acid greens like euphorbia. Kate

[Sparrow]

Hi Oola, Sounds like we had similar grandpas. Mine grew dahlias and sweet peas. He always enterred them in the local shows. When he died in 1974, my dad had a memorial cup made for him to award in his name for "Best in Show".
I was always squeemish about Dahlias, as they invariably contained an earrwig or two!

[sheddie]

I always have a white orchid in the room, but love roses, sweet peas, daffodills, lily of the valley - thinking about it I love flowers of all seasons.

[Healing Hands]

I like most flowers, but lily of the valley because the perfume of the flower reminds me of my grandmother and lillies I have lots of pots of lilies around the garden and every time I go to Hampton Court flower show I always end buying some lily bulbs.

there is one flower that I do dislike and that is Birds of Paridise it really does nothing for me.

[Katelb]

Hi Sparrow,how wonderful to be surrounded by flowers all day,good luck with the training.
I think my favourites are Freesias,and Roses.Both are such beautiful flowers and have such a wonderful scent.My OH always gets Freesias for me cos he knows they are a favourite. I think wild flowers too have their place especially honeysuckle which again has such a wonderful exotic scent,it also means "loves tie" or so I'm told,another good reason to like it.

[dinger]

I love roses they have special names some of which tie up with my family .Ernest a deep red my dads name Sylvia sister Open arms a rose named by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Away With The Fairies the last two gifts from sheddy.

[Oola]

Hi Oola, Sounds like we had similar grandpas. Mine grew dahlias and sweet peas. He always enterred them in the local shows. When he died in 1974, my dad had a memorial cup made for him to award in his name for "Best in Show".
I was always squeemish about Dahlias, as they invariably contained an earrwig or two!

That's so strange because we're going to have a special cup made in my grandfather's honour for the sweet pea award at our annual gardener's association show!

[Sparrow]

That's so strange because we're going to have a special cup made in my grandfather's honour for the sweet pea award at our annual gardener's association show!

We MUST be related. ;)

We used to call my Dad "Mr Wheatcroft" after that amazing TV gardener. Dad grew roses and a handlebar moustache like Mr Wheatcroft. We always teased him that if he shaved it off, his rose garden would go up in a puff of smoke.

[gothfairy]

How lucky you are to be studying floristry, good luck with it all. I have always thought delivering flowers would be a lovely thing to do, making someone's day with a surprise bunch of flowers. We are lucky to have a small florists in the village... I love going in there, not a fan of supermarket/garage forecourt bunches of imported flowers, and am with Sarah Raven in her campaign to BUY BRITISH FLOWERS. I love scented flowers, lily of the valley, sweet peas, old fashioned clove pinks, night-scented stock, old-fashioned roses which my late father-in-law had all down the side of the house. I also love the statuesque flowers like delphiniums and some of the special foxgloves you can now buy. Pots of scarlet geraniums lined up down the side of the step into the garden always look so cheery too. Miniature daffodils and other small, spring flowers. Peony flowers, blowsy and bright. So many beautful flowers, so hard to find a favourite....