From the delicate flower bouquets held by bridesmaids to the lavish displays created to celebrate special occasions, flowers are used to communicate a myriad of emotions and desires. In fact, the floral industry employs over 90,000 people and generates more than $7 billion every year in the United States. The appeal of flowers is linked to the many meanings that can be associated with the different types.

While we may associate red roses with an expression of love, it is actually the red carnation that best represents deep love; In Russia, though, tulips in a red hue were closely linked to romantic love declarations. In some parts of the world, hand-held red roses conjure up associations of socialism rather than love. The dejected might opt to express their feelings with a yellow carnation, while those aiming to demonstrate the purity of their love would opt for white.

Symbolizing life, love and immortality, tulips were once a very precious commodity in Holland, with their bulbs being prized more highly than gold. In fact, Tulip Mania spread through Western Europe in the 1630s, resulting in the flowers being used as a form of currency because of their extreme value! Given that tulips only live for three to seven days, the currency was very short-lived.

Flowers are, of course, mostly associated with holidays, particularly Valentine?s Day and Mother?s Day. Floral gifts on Mother?s Day cost close to $2 billion each year. On Valentine?s Day, almost 15% of women send flowers to themselves, although 73% of Valentine?s blooms are still sent by men. Wedding flowers have their own special meaning, able to not only match your theme, but also communicate something about your romance and love. Every floral arrangement tells its own story.

Whether you are after an autumn inspired wedding bouquet, sympathy flowers or spring flower bouquets, flowers can be a wonderful way to express your thoughts and delight the person you are giving them to. Giving flowers says a lot about you, with most people viewing flower givers as caring, successful and emotionally intelligent. Almost all people surveyed viewed them as thoughtful and almost 90% said receiving a gift of flowers made them feel special, especially if the gift was unexpected. The next time you have something to say, consider using a floral display to do it.