Iconic flowers
What makes a flower iconic? Sometimes it’s because of its popularity – the rose is the biggest selling flower in the world so MUST be on. Sometimes because it represents a season – Peonies are just the perfect way to start Summer. Others because they have stood the test of time or have had a resurgence of popularity – like the catwalk Carnations. And some just because they are stunningly beautiful. Choosing 10 is nigh on impossible but here’s our starter list … by 2025 we reckon it may be a whole lot longer!
Chrysanthemum
We love chrysanthemum... not just because they last for aaaages but because they come in such a brilliant range of shapes, sizes and colours. If we’re honest our personal faves are probably the large, 14–17cm, Bloom Chrysanths like the luscious autumnal coloured Spoon called Copper Vienna which only appears in August to November but we’ve also a bit of soft spot for the fabulous furry Etrusko or the completely barking mad Capriool - wildly spiky but gorgeous.
Carnation
Forget those horrid pink and red things you use to see at garage forecourts, Carnations are now seriously sexy and anyone who says otherwise clearly hasn’t see the range on offer. We are talking virtually every colour of the rainbow and in a range of styles to please everyone from fluffy feathery edged varieties to serrated bi colours... there are even varieties with a hint of scent. For decadence look at the rich Copper Extasis, for sweetness look at the oh so soft pastels like Maruchi and for modernity make sure you get some of the mint green Prado or the ombre Hypnosis. Alternatively, be totally wild and mix them altogether for a vase of wonderfulness that will last for ages.
Clematis
The Clematis is our chosen National Florist Day brand flower. Not just because it goes with the colour scheme but because we adore how it looks. Describe by Chelsea Gold Medal winner and designer extraordinaire Dmitry Turcan as ‘Butterflies floating over a design’, cut Clematis are now commercially available and can add oh so much elegance to any design or just look stunning on their own. Evocative of country gardens and available in a whole host of purples and pinks – and a very rare white - they’ve quickly become a staple must buy for many a florist and a ‘must have’ flower for style aficionados.
Gerbera
We reckon Gerbera is Hippy Chic in a flower. Made famous by one of our Ambassadors Paula Pryke when a design she made was turned into one of Ikea’s best-selling posters back in the 90’s, the Gerbera … and its baby sisters the Germini and Micro’s are happiness personified! But like many of our iconic flowers it has morphed through the ages and now you’ll find an amazing array of Gerbera from the triple decker Gerponi’s - multi layered flowers that are HUGE … the insanely crazy spiders and the just amazing Pasta varieties … yup Pasta Gerbera; big bold circles of colour surrounded with oh so delicate quills. Just had to be on the list!
Lisianthus
It used to be called the poor man’s rose but there is nothing poor about these beauties. The proper name is Eustoma and is a native American wildflower. Now it’s grown commercially and what started as simple pink and white has grown into a collection of colours to suit everyone including the most stunning Terracotta brown varieties. Best of all it lasts for ages. Buy the fuller, more luxurious varieties from a local florist and not only will you get a longer stem but loads of side shoots which can be used in jam jars and little bottles to dot around the house or have in the kitchen … as our Why Buy Flowers section explains, the perfect morning wake up.
Peonies
The dream of many a bride and a real starter of summer … well most years! Because whilst summer 2024 has had a big effect on production … the rain has damaged and shortened crop levels … the peony is still one of the most Instagram-able flowers in the world and its arrival sends shivers down the spine when the first consignments hit the wholesale markets. Some varieties – like Coral Charm – blow very quickly, others are a slower burn but perhaps the real magic of this flower is that no peony will look like another one … every single bloom is different and will unfurl to revel a myriad of tones and petal formations. We tingle just thinking about them!
Ranunculus
We adore Ranunculi but the Butterfly ones take our excitement levels up a notch with it’s almost stained glass like appearance – it has a fabulous shimmery look - and hardiness that belies the oh so gentle appearance. Because it opens and holds and means the investment is just like any fine piece of jewellery and goes on for ages. Its big brother, the standard Ranunculus is just as thrilling albeit in a totally different way. Because he has layer upon layer of ultra-thin petals that form a rosette shaped flower that then softly opens in the round and will give days of pleasure. Colour wise the world is your oyster … softest pinks to ruby reds, oh so elegant greens to zingy oranges … there is a Ranunculus to suit every room.
Rose
No list would be complete with the rose but which one to choose? You see there are hundreds to choose from ranging from the teeny tiny, small headed short sweethearts to the classic standard which can stand over 2 metres high and with heads that open to the size of side plates. There’s an amazing range of spray roses …. some with heads bigger than the sweethearts and then of course there are the garden rose varieties …. big, blowsy, highly scented and the absolute height of luxury. Ecuador and Colomba are the biggest growing regions due to their near perfect growing conditions, Kenya is best known for its smaller headed and spray varieties whilst some of the most luxurious, like Avalanche and The Dorchester, are grown in The Netherlands. We couldn’t possibly pick a favourite but confess we do love the Coffee and Toffee collections, have a bit of a pash for Early Grey and love the vibrance of Pink Floyd!
Scabious
It’s been a constant in cottage garden design for years with its soft papery petals around the bobbly centre but thanks to breeders like Danziger, Scabiosa – also known as the Pincushion flower - is now even more wonderful. Because they developed the Scoop® collection; a bigger and even more multifaceted double scabiosa. In fact, this is a flower that just keeps on giving. A genus of the honeysuckle family, it starts as a tight round and gently opens in the vase to reveal a myriad of micro petals and stamens. And whilst not the longest lasting flower … we’re talking circa 7 days and a bit longer for the huge Bon BonTM series … gives a fabulous pop of colour to every room. Colour wise, we are genuinely talking an ice cream counter! Dark Maraschino, French Vanilla, Raspberry Ripple … this is a collection that really is almost good enough to eat!
Hydrangea
The brand flower of Florist Trade Magazine and the grandaddy of blooms, the Hydrangea has it all. The most common cut version is Hydrangea macrophylla or Mop Head/Big Leaf and they are big … in fact can be bigger than your head. The blowsy blooms – which need to be kept topped up with water as they are thirsty flowers - are formed from a multitude of tiny florets and are available in a host of colours ranging from the softest pinks to the elegant Coral Blue … which is actually green and purple! … to the oh so elegant whites and some luscious blue varieties ranging from baby blue to royal blue and all points in-between. But whilst they are often used at weddings to create feature walls and tumbling staircase runners, Hydrangea are perfect for everywhere and just two or three stems can make a huge statement in the home and look amazing!
