Saying thank you can feel like a big undertaking. Maybe a mentor has helped you blossom in your career or a friend lent you some extra support in a time of need. In any case, giving thank you flowers can be a meaningful way to let someone know that you feel grateful for them.
Beautiful, vivacious, and always a treat, flowers brighten any space and make the perfect gift for many occasions. And beyond romance and condolence, a bouquet perfectly expresses gratitude. Flowers have been used to communicate across cultures for hundreds of years. When you want to let someone know you’re thankful for them, there are some types of flowers that are more appropriate. And what better way to share love and compassion than with a bit of nature’s most beautiful art pieces! So when you’re picking out a bouquet, consider featuring some of these flowers to say thank you.
Floriography – The Language of Flowers
Giving flowers has been a tradition for centuries. Records of gifts of flowers pop up in Greek and Roman mythology to ancient China, Japan, and Egypt. During the Victorian age, giving flowers became wildly popular. Even more interesting is that each culture seemed to use flowers to convey emotion. In a way, they adopted an entirely new language using flowers!
Communicating feelings through the gift of flowers is called floriography. In Victorian times, this language was taken very seriously as it was otherwise not acceptable to express strong emotions. Thankfully, direct communication and emotional IQ are more celebrated in contemporary times, but it’s still fun to communicate specific feelings through the gift of flowers. And what better way to express gratitude than a beautiful bouquet of thank you flowers!
Yellow roses make great ‘Thank you’ flowers. [Image by edmondlafoto on Pixabay]
Roses
With a heavy history around romance, you might be initially inclined to steer away from giving roses as a thank you gift. But think outside the box of the single red rose clenched between a tango dancer’s teeth. Because roses have become the horticultural superstars with thousands of hybrids, they come in all sorts of sizes and colors, and they can be perfectly suited to fit your gratitude bouquet’s needs.
If you want to get deep into the meanings, it’s only the red and purple roses that hold connotations of love. Take, for example, a yellow rose. Symbolizing friendship and joy, yellow roses are the perfect gift for your friend who goes above-and-beyond or the one who always hosts. Additionally, peach and pink roses can show admiration for someone (not necessarily in the romantic sense), and they can add more pops of color to a thank you bouquet.
Gerbera Daisies. [Image by Christo Anestev from Pixabay]
Daisies
A member of the Aster family, along with sunflowers, daisies make a delightful thank you flower. With the combination of ray petals and disc petals, daisies channel sunny vibes. Plus, they can be found in all different shades from yellows and reds to purples and pinks. Always cheerful, a bouquet of daisies keeps with energy light and playful. What better way to thank someone who brought joy into your life!
For cut bouquets, Gerbera daisies are a popular choice both for their beauty and for their resilience. Once cut, they can last upwards of two weeks! For extra meaning, give daisies to someone who has inspired perseverance in your own life, as you can be sure the bright flowers will stay with them for a while.
Fun Fact: Unlike other flowers, Gerbera daisies continue to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen during the night. Many people place bouquets by their beds to support healthy sleeping.
Hydrangeas. [Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay]
Hydrangeas
The pom-poms of the flower world, hydrangeas are a great choice for a thank you bouquet. With four delicate petals, each individual flower is rather minimalist. But when grouped by the hundred in the larger inflorescences, hydrangeas become floral fireworks. Additionally, the flowers sport a pleasant aroma, making them a multisensory home run!
With a long history dating back to early Japanese emperors, the floriography of hydrangeas runs deep. Holding the meaning of gratitude and honesty, they make a perfect way to give your sincere thanks to show someone how much they mean to you.
Lilies of the Valley
Lily of the Valley. [Image by Marina Pershina from Pixabay]
Fun Fact: The alkalinity of the soil affects the color of the flower. For example, a lower pH (more acidic soil) will create a bluer flower while a higher pH (more basic) will produce a pinker bloom.
Lilies
Another multisensory masterpiece, lilies are ethereal in shape and their delectable scent turn any bouquet up a notch on the spectacular scale. Their grandeur does inspire a sense of sincerity, making lilies a great choice for expressing deep gratitude. Additionally, lilies show up with powerful symbolism in many different cultures.
Depending on the color, lilies can convey different meanings. Use the chart below to help deduce which lilies to include in your thank you bouquet.
| Lily Color/Type | Meaning |
| White | Modesty |
| Orange | Passion |
| Yellow | Gaiety |
| Lily of the Valley | Pure Heart |
| Tiger Lily | Mercy and Compassion |
Orchid blooms. [Image by Janyka Mitchell from Pixabay]
Fun Fact: Some cultures forage species of lily have as a food source because the bulb is rich in starch.
Orchids
Orchids. The queens of the plant world. Across this plant family, the flowers master balancing the combination of unique shapes and colors with a simple beauty that feels nothing if not luxurious. One theory behind their popularity is that orchid flowers have bilateral symmetry similar to the human face. So flower-lovers (who isn’t one?) have a natural affinity for these plants that remind us of ourselves.
Beyond their refinement and reminiscence, orchids make great thank you flowers because of their versatility. They both look amazing in a bouquet, but they can also stand alone as a potted plant. Paired with their long leaves, they add a modernist feel and serve as a powerful statement piece. And (bonus!) the blooms last for several weeks!
Fun Fact: Many species of orchid are masters of mimicry. The blooms will actually look like the pollinator they hope to attract to trick the insect into visiting the flower.
Whether you choose to give a single bloom or a mixed bouquet, flowers will always help communicate gratitude. There’s no better way to express how much someone means to you than with a glorious bunch of thank you flowers.
[Featured image by FelixMittermeier from Pixabay]
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