Sunday, July 21, 2013

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Saturday, July 20, 2013

Top 5 Most Expensive Flowers in the World

Flowers have always been considered a romantic gift for a loved one, as a pleasure for the eyes and the nose, they are a temporary luxury. Their frail beauty is a perfect combination of tragedy and romance, they are decadent in their lavish glory and impermanence, lasting only a few days before they wither and die. The rarer the flower, the more expensive this short lived gift becomes. Although it is not best to buy too cheaply when trying to woo someone with a bouquet, the following list pushes the financial boundaries far beyond the reach of your average romantic gesture.

5. £600 per pound – Saffron Crocus

Saffron Crocus is 5th place in our list, which may come as a surprise to some, as it is neither a rare nor an expensive flower. A bouquet of Saffron Crocus would cost less than a dozen roses, for example. In spite of this however, Saffron Crocus does have a rightful place on the most expensive flowers list because its stamens are cultivated to produce the spice saffron, which is the most expensive spice in the world. Saffron costs $1,000 or around £600 per pound.

4. £80,000 – Bouquet consisted of white orchids, white lilies, moonflowers and the root of a 100 year old ficus

4th place goes to the most expensive wedding bouquet of all time. The bouquet consisted of white orchids, white lilies, moonflowers and the root of a 100 year old ficus. However it is not just the flower content that made this bouquet so expensive, as it also contained 90 two-carat red ruby facets, nine one-carat diamonds, and a 21.6-carat star ruby. This is cheating a little bit, but it is still a horrendously expensive bouquet costing $125,000 or around £80,000. The bouquet is still on display on the 6th floor of the Ruby Plaza in Vietnam.

3. £3,000 per flower – Gold of Kinabalu Orchid

The Gold of Kinabalu Orchid, is an endangered species of orchid that can only be found in one small fenced off area in the Kinabalu National Park in Malaysia. This extremely rare flower costs up to $5,000, or £3,000 for just one stem at a time! This incredibly expensive flower is also a very impractical gift, unless of course the occasion falls between April and May, because that is the only time of year that the Gold of Kinabalu Orchid blooms.

2. £160,000 – Shenzhen Nongke Orchid

The Shenzhen Nongke Orchid is a completely man-made flower that was developed during 8 years of research in agricultural science by its namesake Shenzhen Nongke Group in China. In 2005 the flower was sold at auction to an anonymous bidder for a jaw dropping 1.68 million Yuan, or £160,000. This completely unique Frankenstein flower remains the most expensive flower ever bought.

1. Priceless! – Kadupul Flower

The Kadupul Flower is at the top of our list, even though it has never been sold for more than the other flowers in the list. The simple reason why the Kadupul Flower is the champion of the most expensive flowers in the world list is: it is completely priceless. No amount of money could ever buy this flower. It is so rare and so frail that it lives for only a few hours, and then dies. Even the local people of its native Sri Lanka seldom see this delicate beauty. Blossoming just before midnight and perishing before dawn, no one, neither orchid-lover nor oligarch, has yet been able to remove the flower from its stem to make a gift of it. Due to its incredibly short life span, this flower has become almost mythical in its status and is revered by many as the most desirable and valuable flower on earth.

10 Most Popular Flowers and Their Meanings

Flowers play important roles in human lives. They are good not only for beautifying the surroundings, but they also send different messages. For sure, you have already given and have received different flowers, right? Do you really know the meaning of those flowers? Well, if you don’t know yet, this article will tell you.

In the Victorian era, sending a private message to their loved ones uses those meticulously picked bouquet of flowers. This was very popular during those times. Flowers had different meanings during the Victorian times; the color and even the kind of presentation, whether it’s presented with a right or left hand meant different things. Accepting it with the right hand means “yes” while with the left hand means “no.” This is known as fluorography, or the language of flowers. However, this is not commonly practiced in the modern era anymore.

Nonetheless, the colors, the beauty and the meaning of the flowers still remain. So, if you want to send a special message to your loved ones, flowers are still a good messenger. Thus, if you want to send or to express your feelings to someone through flowers, you should also know the meaning of the flowers.

These are some of the popular flowers with their meanings. However, it is best to send these flowers with their meaning so that the recipients would understand the meaning as well (that is, if the other party doesn’t have the knowledge yet).

Gardenia: Do you have a crush on someone who’s not aware of how you feel? Give your crush fresh Gardenias. It means ecstasy, you are lovely and I am secretly in love with you.
Daisy: If you are looking for a stylish flower, Gerba Daisy is your best bet. Most girls are fanatic of daisies. It symbolizes love, innocence, purity and loyalty.

3. Roses: For sure, you have known that these flowers are the perfect symbol of love. In fact, roses are the most famous romantic flowers. However, didn’t you know that these are edible, too? Its flavors are reminiscent of strawberries and green apples. Additionally, the darker its color the stronger its flavor. The different colors of roses also represent different meanings.

Red – means love, beauty, passion, romance and “I love you.”
Yellow – means joy, happiness, “Remember me,” a new beginning and friendship.
White – means purity, of course. In addition to that, it also means unity, youthfulness, sincerity and innocence.
Pink – represents appreciation, gracefulness, elegance and “thank you.”
Peach – means optimism for the future, desire, anticipation and “let’s be together.”
Lavender – means love at first sight.

4. Lilac: This flower symbolizes a new found love. Thus, if you have moved on from a previous heartbreak and you have found your new love with someone, this is a perfect gift for her. They are also very famous as gifts to celebrate a new union during nuptials. Furthermore, it also symbolizes the love of mother and child.

5. Tulip: This flower is generally known to represent charity, a perfect lover and fame. Like roses, the different colors of tulips have their corresponding messages, too, as follows:

Red - a declaration of love and “trust me.”
Yellow – love without hope.
Variegated – “You got beautiful eyes”.

6. Orchid: In China, this symbolizes abundance of children. However, in general, it means beauty

and love.

7. Lily of the valley: These flowers are the perfect symbol of sweetness, humility and return to happiness.

8. Stephanotis: This is one of the most used wedding flowers because of its fragrance and sweet smell. It means marital happiness and the desire to travel on a honeymoon.

9. Hydrangea: This flower has two distinct sides. It could mean heartless; it could also mean “Thank you for understanding.”

10. Sunflower: Most people love to eat sunflower seeds. Going into the meaning of this flower, it means best wishes and loyalty.

These are some of the most popular flowers with their corresponding meanings. The truth is, flowers that come from the bottom of your heart are all heartwarming and will surely brighten someone’s day. Just make sure to give flowers with utmost sincerity because the absence of it will make your flower gift useless.

It’s always your heart that matters. Thus, if you really want to express sincere feelings from the heart, you can use these flowers.