There’s a common misconception that roses are the flowers associated with love. The reality is, carnations represent love in all its forms.
Beauty is probably the main reason we purchase flowers however long-lasting freshness is just as necessary. Gone are the days of buying flowers every week to beautify your home.
Carnations burgeon and stay bloomed for at least two weeks. Most buyers seeking that longevity would prefer them to more perishable alternatives. They save money. Throw their impressive colour variety into the mix and you have a winner! This week try yellow, two weeks later try pink or red, or even white…
Speaking of colours, what’s your favourite? Carnations, like most flowers have a broad palette and each colour has its meaning. For instance, white symbolizes purity and luck, light red represents admiration, pink and deep red signify love.
Carnations are generally the flowers associated with love. They are rich in symbolism but are also delicate and delightful. In ancient Greek history, carnations were used as the finishing touch on a perfectly woven flower crown. Although at the time the only colours available were pale pink and peach they were still the most popular flowers. In recent times, carnations have been associated with January, heralding the beginning of a new positive chapter each year. They are also common in celebrations of one year anniversaries for couples.
Carnations are indigenous to Eurasia and classified into three types. The first is large-flowered carnations which have broad flowers on each stem. The second, spray carnations, have lots of smaller flowers blooming off different stems. Finally, we have the dwarf-flowered carnations, which have several small flowers on a single stem.
In Kenya, the flower industry is the most profitable in the export business and carnations are, like all other flowers, being sent out in large numbers. Australia and Switzerland rely on Kenya for constant supply of carnations possibly because these flowers are exotic to both areas. Japan, Russia, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates are also eager buyers of the carnation cargo flown out of our airports.
