Flowers in Every Room Part I

An array of floral arrangements on a mantel, a centerpiece for the dining room table, an urn beautifully filled with seasonal flowers, we come across these images in magazines and movies, but how many of us really have flowers in our homes? It seems like a luxury to have flowers in your home, but it's worth the trip to your local florist. Did you know that the presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heightens feelings of life satisfaction and affects social behavior in a positive manner? 

Researchers have found that;

1. Flowers have an immediate impact on happiness. All study participants expressed "true" or "excited" smiles upon receiving flowers, demonstrating extraordinary delight and gratitude. This reaction was universal, occurring in all age groups.
2. Flowers have a long-term positive effect on moods. Specifically, study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers, and demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction.
3. Flowers make intimate connections. The presence of flowers led to increased contact with family and friends.

Isn't it amazing what flowers can do? I want to encourage everybody to try and incorporate flowers into your daily lives. Flowers may seem expensive and some are quite costly, but if you choose seasonal flowers, they're rather economical.  The following guide lists the seasonal availability of flowers.

Spring

Spring Arrangement from this year

Cherry blossom, columbine, crab-apple blossom, daffodil, dogwood, forsythia, foxglove, freesia, hyacinth, larkspur, lilac, lily of the valley, magnolia, mophead hydrangea, pansy, peony, poppy, ranunculus, rose, spirea, sweet pea, violet, viburnum, wisteria

Summer

Summer arrangement from this year

Asiatic lily, aste, begonia, black-eyed Susan, cosmos, cockscomb, daisy, delphinium, dahlia, gardenia, garden roses, hydrangea, larkspur, lematis, pee gee hydrangea, sunflower, peony, rudbeckia, pansy, poppy, rose, sunflower, violet, plumbago, rosemary, viburnum, zinnia

Fall

Amaryllis, bittersweet, crab apple, hydrangea, ornamental berries, rose, sugar maple, sunflower, autumn foliage, scabiosa, chrysanthemum, cosmos, coreopsis, Gerber daisy, hydrangea, lisianthius, pomegranate, rose hip, salvia, sassafras, sumac

Winter

Dried flowers, evergreens, forced bulbs, ornamental berries, seedpods, acacia, forsythia, fruit blossoms, seeded eucalyptus, tulip, rose

Seasonless

Anemone, Arianrose, calla lily, Casablanca lily, Champagne rose, Dianthus caryophyllus, forced bulbs, freesia, gardenia, ivies, lily of the valley, Message rose, ranunculus, Sarracenia (pitcher plant), Stargazer lily, stephanotis, vines, Virginia rose, white dendrobium orchid

Fall arrangements from this year