Flowers are a garden of memories and sentiment. It’s only natural to have strong recollections flow through as you walk by a flower shop near you. Perhaps it’s the first time you got promoted, or even further back, to your first Valentine’s.
Because flowers evoke emotions from a fragment of the past or even bring the prospect of a new future, they have the power of reminding you of the good old days.
From the most iconic years in our retro past, stroll down memory lane with us with these 3 flowers in Singapore.
Remember that first Carnation bouquet you gifted your mum as a kid on Mother’s day? The Pink Carnation is a classic flower for this special occasion since the flower is symbolic of a mother’s love and your gratitude towards her. It’s probably the first present you gifted to someone else as a child to show your appreciation of all her hard work and tender-hearted efforts as she brought you up.
Carnations also spin fond memories of the past, especially since its popular heyday back in the 1980s. Together with other remnants of the past like paper Singapore currency notes, phone booth cards, and Teresa Tang vinyl song albums—Carnations are a part of a collection we would immediately describe as retro today.
In fact, the Carnation bouquet has a rich history, stretching back to ancient Roman and Greek times. It’s survived thousands of years of tradition across cultures and has a different significance in different nations. But one thing’s for sure. The Carnation is one sturdy flower that brings back fond memories for all of us.
Because Carnations are ever-blooming, they signify everlasting love. Its signature ruffled petals have also earned Carnations their universal meaning of fascination and interest.
The Carnation flower bouquet is a popular choice to buy in Singapore because they’re affordable, and they come in many colour hues. Including white for purity, red for deep love, and even hidden meanings like subtle rejection in striped Carnations. Because of the fluttery petals, it presents as a voluminous, bountiful bouquet with just a few stalks, just like a Hydrangea bouquet. And Carnations are even making a trendy re-appearance in cascading designs on the runway and in wedding bouquets too.
As we travel down the timeline into the hippie 90s, you’ll find a flower that best represents that decade, and it’s none other than the Gerbera Daisy. A crowd-favourite back then, Gerbera Daisies were used for all occasions from birthdays to get well soon visits and weddings.
Like a time capsule, the Gerbera Daisy reminds us of the good old days where things like Nokia 3310, the Tamagotchi, bell-bottoms and skater culture were all the rage. It also marked the beginning of the digital boom with the birth of social networking sites like Friendster.
Happiness and innocence: these are the associated meanings to the Gerbera Daisy because of its cartoonish petals that remind us of childlike purity. But don’t let these flowers fool you. Because they’re incredibly durable, and they bloom all year round, they are the perfect go-to flowers for any event.
If you’re looking for a blast from the past, the nostalgic Honeysuckle is it! Remember the days on your way home from school? You’d see rows and rows of honeysuckle bushes along the pedestrian walk and sneak a taste of flower nectar.
It’s the one flower in our childhood we could eat like candy. We’d learn to pull the stamen out from the bottom of the flower and lick the nectar from the stem—an easy and fun sweet snack to appease your sweet tooth momentarily.
Like its taste, the Honeysuckle represents sweetness and happiness. Because it’s got very sturdy vines, the Honeysuckle has also come to signify everlasting bonds.
But at the same time, it’s known less as a flower bouquet gift and more for its practical uses, such as sweet perfumes and fragrances, artistic designs in fabric, or soothing medicinal flower tea.
Gift a present from the past from someone in your childhood memory, be it a longtime friend, a former colleague, or even your old school teacher. Present them with a lovely bouquet of Carnations or Gerbera Daisies as you reminisce about the times you had together and create new memories. No need to find a “flower shop near me”, shop online at Smiling Flora for the widest selection of floral blooms, and get delivery to your doorstep today!