So, recently a friend of the female variety told an amusing story about asking her boy for a yellow tulip for her birthday. The poor guy got her a very nice boquet with an orange lily...He couldn't find yellow, so he hoped orange was close enough, good try, probably would have succeeded...if it had been a tulip. So to save my fellow men from floundering in the flower store, here are my tips and advice.
UPDATE: Same girl, different boy...Still wanting her yellow tulip, but this year she got a white carnation :)
Giving Flowers
Identify Her Favorite Flower
As my friend's story showed, better the wrong color than the wrong flower. Here is an excellent website with pretty pictures for you guys; http://www.floristdex.com/types-of-flowers/
Potted Plants
- Pointsettas are for christmas, not dating.
- Marigolds are always good.
- Don't fill the bottom inch with stones...a single stone covering the drain hole (not sealing) is all you need.
- Be creative with your 'pot', fancy tin cans, plastic popcorn containers, etc, show you put extra thought in.
- Include one of those self watering bulbs.
- Bamboo is fun.
- Geraniums are meh, but still pretty.
- Venus fly-traps can be fun.
- A cute little cactus or miniature cactus garden is cool.
- Peppers are colorful and edible!
- Ferns are nifty.
- This would be awesome to give: Vegetable Lamb of Tartary
Advice
- Roses are horribly formal. Save them for anniversaries and valentines day.
- Carnations are for high school grad.
- Unless she says otherwise, you can't go wrong with gerber daisies.
- Score bonus points, give a nice vase too. Nothing too big, but one that will hold 2 or 3 flowers.
- Daffodils are toxic, but pretty.
- Pointsettas are poisonous.
- Marigold can be used as an antiseptic and anti-inflamitory.
- No one gives violets, I don't know why. I think they are nice.
- Generally avoid tulips, they apparently scream 'cheap'. But if you're asked for one...
- Avoid flowers on the first date...But mega points if you give them (once) on date 2 or 3.
- Avoid dyed flowers (unless they are your wedding colors). Dyed blue roses are silly when there are real blue roses out there.