"Oh you're a florist? So what's your favourite flower?"

This is kind of like asking a parent who their favourite child is. As well as never wanting to say just incase you offend the others (lets be honest - there IS always a favourite), the favourite is constantly changing due to mood or life events (applies to both children and flowers).


So what is my flavour of the month I hear you ask? *drum roll please*

POPPIES. Actually more specifically Iceland Poppies. Or Papaver Nudicaule.

Most people think of poppies as the symbol of remembrance for soldiers who died during the warfare in the Poppy fields during WW1 - but oh how they are that and so so much more!

As well as being (in my opinion) one of the coolest looking flowers while in bud form and to watch open up into the beautiful flower, they also have a bunch of crazy cool uses.
Prepare to be blown away guys, because I've totally done my research.

CRAZY COOL USE #1: The opiates in the drugs Morphine, Heroine and Codine are derived from Opium Poppies

CRAZY COOL USE #2: Poppy seeds are rich in oil, carbohydrates, calcium and oil. Sounds edible right? Well turns out they are - poppy oil is actually used as cooking oil, salad dressing or as an ingredient in margarine. Who woulda thunk it!

CRAZY COOL USE #3: Poppy products are also used in paints, varnishes and some cosmetics.

Now who said learning wasn't fun!

Another important thing to note when buying flowers (especially when purchasing as a gift) is if they have a specific meaning behind them. Nothing worse than being 'that guy' who gives his girlfriend yellow roses on an anniversary. Like c'mon.. this isn't a great grandmothers funeral.

Poppies have been long used as a symbol of sleep, peace and death, sleep because of the opium and death because of the common blood red colour. Poppies are often used on tombstones to symbolise eternal sleep.
Woah sorry, got a bit deep and intense there. Let's lighten it up shall we?

I'm assuming everyone has seen The Wizard of Oz at least once (if you haven't - i'm not sure how you're ready this blog as you're clearly living under a very small rock) so you'll know the scene with the field of poppies that threatens eternal sleep? That's a pretty good example of the meaning thats long been associated with the flower.

But look, as much as Poppies do symbolise all of these things, because of the fun colours the Icelandic Poppies come in - i'm prettttttttttty 97% certain any girlfriend/mum/friend would love these beauties as a nice change of pace to your average table centre piece.
Plus once you start telling them about all the crazy cool uses I'm sure they won't even remember the whole "eternal sleep" thing anyway.