Flower dictionary
A quick, plain-language guide to the flowers your local florist works with — what each one symbolizes, the colors and seasons to expect, how to keep it fresh, and the moments it suits. Use it to pick the perfect stem, then find a florist to arrange it.
Rose
Rosa
The flower florists reach for first — layered, fragrant, and available in nearly every color a message could ask for.
Year-round
Lily
Lilium
Large, sculptural trumpets — often fragrant — that lend instant presence and grace to any arrangement.
Summer
Peony
Paeonia
Cloud-soft, teacup-sized blooms with a short, coveted season and a romance no other flower quite matches.
Spring–Summer
Orchid
Phalaenopsis
Elegant, architectural blooms marching up an arching spike — long-lasting as a plant, exotic as a cut stem.
Year-round
Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla
A single stem that fills a vase — full clouds of tiny florets in soft, painterly colors.
Summer–Autumn
Ranunculus
Ranunculus asiaticus
Tissue-paper petals wound into a perfect swirl — delicate to look at, surprisingly long-lasting in the vase.
Spring
Anemone
Anemone coronaria
A crisp, poppy-like bloom with an inky dark center that gives modern arrangements graphic punch.
Winter–Spring
Calla Lily
Zantedeschia
A single smooth, curling trumpet on a bare stem — the essence of understated modern elegance.
Spring–Summer
Dahlia
Dahlia
A geometric showpiece ranging from tidy pompons to dinner-plate blooms wider than a hand.
Summer–Autumn
Stock
Matthiola incana
Dense columns of ruffled florets carrying a warm, spicy-sweet clove fragrance.
Spring
Lisianthus
Eustoma grandiflorum
A rose-like bloom with a delicate, crepe-paper ruffle and a graceful, long-lasting habit.
Summer
Baby's Breath
Gypsophila paniculata
A cloud of tiny white blooms that softens and connects everything around it — now a star in its own right.
Year-round
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Silvery-green foliage with a fresh, clean scent — the greenery that makes modern bouquets feel effortless.
Year-round
Gardenia
Gardenia jasminoides
A creamy, waxy white bloom with a heady perfume, reserved for the most special corsages and bouquets.
Summer
Protea
Protea
A bold, otherworldly bloom the size of a fist that turns any arrangement into a conversation piece.
Autumn–Winter
Delphinium
Delphinium
Towering spires of true-blue florets that bring rare height and cool color to grand arrangements.
Summer
Camellia
Camellia japonica
A formal, symmetrical bloom set against glossy evergreen leaves — refined elegance for cool-season design.
Winter
Amaryllis
Hippeastrum
Enormous trumpet blooms atop a tall, bold stem — the dramatic star of the winter and holiday season.
Winter
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