Hello, and welcome to my first blog which is about flowers and wellbeing. It’s such an important topic at this point in time as many of us are reeling from all the uncertainties Covid 19 has brought us. But life goes on and we need to rebuild and take care good care of ourselves. How can flowers help us do that?

The Evidence…

Reasearch has shown that flowers and plants can help improve our mental health. Can you believe it? Those little beauties from mother nature can improve our mood, our positivity and boost our energy and vitality.

A New York study observed the faces of 147 of women as they recived one of the following gifts: a pens, a fruit basket, candles and flowers. The observers were measuring ‘full face’ smiles and found that 90% of the sample gave a ‘full face’ smile when receiving a fruit basket, 77% gave a ‘full face’ smile when receiving a candle and 100% gave a ‘full face’ smile when receiving flowers. Think about it? Flowers are the perfect way to lift a mood, create a smile, make someone feel good. There is also strong evidence that plants and flowers reduce the actual physical symptoms of stress and anxiety within us.

So, what’s the magic? I see it 3 ways: association, colour and fragrance.

Association

Firstly flowers are mostly associated with good times. They are gifted for special occaisions and we celebrate with floral decors. We also associate flowers with nature and nature has an incredibly calming effect on us. When we look at daffodils we think of spring, when we smell the pine, we think of Christmas, maybe roses remind us of our wedding day. This connection with good times is hard wired into us so when we see the flower, we feel the joy.

Colour

As we know from colour therapy, colour is very closely aligned with emotion. Yellow creates happiness, warmth, confidence, clarity and contentment. Whereas green is passive and organic, it creates feelings of calm, tranquility and restfulness. Red is the colour of passion and it stimulates energy whereas pink is the colour of relaxation. Flowers can bring all these colours and their associated emotions to us in one perfect little bundle.

Fragrance

Finally, we have fragrance. Much the same as colour, fragrance can also ignite varius emotions within us. For example, the smell of Jasmine is said to be calming and relaxing making it the perfect scent for meditation. The smell of Lavender is believed to be comforting and has been proven to reduce stress levels, lower heart rates and blood pressure. The vibrant smell of Eucalyptus is said to stimulate vitality and energise the brain.

Our Message…

• So, if you are considering a gift for someone convalesing, or you want to cheer a loved one up, buy them flowers for that ‘full face’ smile and a continued enjoyment within their home.

• If you want to relax, buy yourself jasmine and lavender and choose those calming shades of greens and pinks to create a restful space in your home.

• Support your local florists when buying your flowers, they will give you the best quality, scented flowers that will last well…

  but that’s another blog post…

• Try a workshop, get your hands on some flowers and create something beautiful to take home. This is both therapeutic and rewarding, not to mention great fun. Click below for some of our Workshops.