What do you know about Carnations?

Carnations 101

There are five basic things to consider when choosing Carnations as your wedding flower or flower for your next planned event,

1. Carnations are a large single or miniature multistemmed flower with compact blossoms made up of many frilled petals. Sometimes, they are referred to as “pinks,” because the edges appear to be cut with pinking shears.
2. When considering a fresh carnation, they should be about half open. The miniature variety should have a few flowers half to fully open, with the others in the bud.
3. When considering older carnations, they will be fully open with some of the dense petals curving outward. The edges of the petals may have started to discolor and dry out.
4. A very popular carnation is Sweet William, which is available in the Spring and early Summer in shades of red, pink, and white. Sweet William is a long lasting fresh cut flower as well as popular garden flower.
5. Large carnations cut down and massed together almost resemble garden roses and peonies.

Here are some details that you might find helpful. Carnations are beautiful and have always been a favorite of my mom.

Names-Carnation, Dianthus

Varieties-There are over 300 species of dianthus, and hundreds of varieties. The common carnation or English carnation is available in large single blooms and in a miniature or spray variety with five to six flowers per stem.

Colors-Carnations come in an enormous array of shades and colors; some varieties are bicolored or variegated. The most common colors are red, pink, and burgundy. Carnations are also a popular flower to dye.

Scent-Some carnations have a fresh clove scent.

Freshness-The flowers are about half open. The spray variety has a few flowers half to fully open, with the rest in the bud.

Vase Life-10 days to two weeks, sometimes longer, depending on whether or not you buy directly from the grower through wholesale or the local flower shop. Although this is a long lasting flower, you must be careful when handling them, as their heads tend to pop off easily.

Availability-All year

Cost-Inexpensive

Meaning-A pink carnation is the symbol of a mother’s love and the emblem of Mother’s Day. Other colors Have their own meanings: Yellow is disdain, purple for antipathy, striped for refusal. White is for pure and ardent love, while red means, “alas my poor heart.”

Arranging Tip-Carnations are inexpensive, very long lasting flowers. One would expect them to be their favorite. However they are shunned by many as cheap and undesirable. Carnations can be manipulated to take on an elegant look by massing them together in a tight bunch, or adding them to simple greenery. They are also an inexpensive choice to fill in or to cover parts of arrangements.

Carnations are a wonderful choice in flowers. They can be used in about any occasion; including: fund raisers, corporate events, and especially weddings. Some specific varieties for weddings you may want to consider are:

1. Standard Carnations, which include: White, peach, cream, pink, hot pink, lavender, purple, burgundy, red, yellow, green, orange, and blue
2. Fancy Carnations, which are medium length: White peach, cream, pink, hot pink, lavender, purple, burgundy, red, yellow, green, and orange
3. Select Carnations, which are long in length: White, peach, cream, pink, hot pink, lavender, purple, burgundy, red, yellow, green, and orange.
4. Mini Carnations, which include: White, pink. hot pink, lavender (Lilac Melissa), purple (Tesino), dark purple, green, yellow, cream, red, burgundy (chateau), and orange

As you can see, carnations come in several varieties and have a longer vase life, not to mention, inexpensive. If you are planning an event on a budget they are an excellent choice. Whole Blossoms Wholesale Flowers would love to provide you with a fresh selection and quality service. Just go to their website at www.wholeblossoms.com and go through their catalogue of over hundreds of varieties. You may even want to check out some of their other fresh cut flower selections. Hope this quick little education on carnations has been helpful. If you like this article and would like to see more like it, go to Whole Blossoms flower blogs and check out more helpful information.