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Luxury is defined as a state of great comfort and extravagant living, and buying a wonderful bouquet for Mom still fits that mold. Whether they’re from the tropics or close to home, indulging in florals can truly bring an expensive look and feel to any home, party, or office. Choose flowers this Mother’s Day as a symbol of opulence and wealth for the following reasons.
© Can Stock Photo / koldunova_anna
Flowers are Expensive, or are They?
Plenty of us consider flowers as a frivolous expense. You can’t plant them, and you’ll have nothing to show for it when they die. While it’s true that you could spend the same amount of money on a bouquet as you would extra groceries, flowers have unique properties that make the receiver healthier and happier – and it isn’t all attributed to the “gift-giving” effect!
How Flowers Improve Emotional Health
When a team of researchers at Rutgers and The State University of New Jersey studied the impact of flowers on the psyche, they found the following:
- Flowers have an immediate effect on happiness.
- Flowers have long-term positive effects on mood. Participants felt less depressed, anxious, and agitated after receiving flowers.
- Flowers create intimate connections.
Luxurious? Yes. Frugal? Yes!
While flowers are a symbol of luxury, they’re also a frugal way to make a space feel more opulent. For example, getting a subscription to Bouqs.com will make Mother’s Day special, but it will also become a pleasant surprise she can look forward to every day, week, two weeks, or month. Since a subscription comes with a permanent 30% off discount, you’ll save even more.
If you decide to pick up flowers from the florist, you can still buy flowers weekly without breaking the bank. In the dead of winter, flowers often cost less despite shipping costs and can stay fresher longer in a heated home, sometimes up to three weeks or longer with the proper care!
Flowers as a Symbol of Luxury: Where Did it Come From?
Flowers have plenty of reasons to be expensive: they’re delicate, perishable, high maintenance, difficult to grow, and are often imported from different continents. As Mother’s Day is the largest flower-giving holiday, some retailers will up the bouquets’ price to capitalize on it.
To understand where the association with flowers and luxury came from, let’s take a look at the “Orchidelirium” or the orchid craze during the Victorian era and Tulip Mania.
Orchidelirium: The Orchid Craze
The Orchidelirium was the name given to wealthy orchid fanatics who would send explorers to find rare orchids during the Victorian era that could cost upward of $250,000. One of the rarest orchids, the Ghost Orchid, was often stolen by thieves. However, the survival rate for these orchids was dismal. This led to B.S. William published The Orchid Grower’s Manual, which is still used today.
Tulip Mania
Predating Orchidelirium, Tulip Mania was a period during the Dutch Golden Age where tulips became fashionable and highly sought after. Tulips would sell for more than 10x their original amount, but the industry took a dramatic turn for the worst a few months after the rise occurred. Now, Tulip Mania can describe any asset bubble in history. There are plenty of other examples of flowers running economies across the world, but Tulip Mania remains the most famous.
Why are Bouquets Still Luxurious?
Although flowers aren’t considered a highly expensive luxury, like a BMW or designer clothing, they are still luxurious in nature because of who owned them at any given time. Only wealthy aristocrats and the upper-middle-class buy any time-based luxury because they’re able to purchase it over and over again. Most people only receive flowers on a special occasion, like Mother’s Day or Valentines’ day, making bouquets even more extravagant from scarcity.
5 Most Luxurious Flowers On The Planet
While all flowers are luxurious, some are considered more expensive and exclusive than others. The following flowers are rare, difficult to come by and come at sky-high prices.
Kadupul Flower
The Kadupul is actually a cactus that blooms only at night and dies immediately after picking. Due to its cactus roots, each Kadupul flower has a short lifespan and wilts as soon as dawn peeks around the corner. The Kadupul flower is considered priceless and can’t be sold.
Juliet Rose
The Juliet rose is a disease-resistant and extremely fragrant rose that blooms around green foliage. While the rose itself isn’t considered expensive (you can buy one for less than $2), the Chelsea Flower Show Juliet Rose did sell for $15.8 million after 15 years of growing.
Shenzhen Nongke Orchid
Developed by Chinese agricultural scientists, the Shenzhen Nongke orchid is particularly unique because it only blooms every 4-5 years. Getting one for yourself will knock you back $20,000, but one particular orchid sold for over $350,000 to an anonymous bidder.
Gold of Kinabalu Orchid
The Gold of Kinabalu is another orchid known for its stunningly beautiful blooms. It’s beloved the world over for its strange stripped pedals and bumpy coating. It’s extremely rare to find and can only be cultivated in Kinabalu National Park in Malaysia, but what’s more astonishing is it takes 15 years to bloom.
Saffron Crocus
This deep purple flower is difficult to find in the wild, but it’s been cultivated by florists for more than 3,500 years across multiple continents. Saffron crocus produces the expensive spice saffron, which costs $1,300 per pound. This flower is extremely difficult to grow.
