If you don't know what to do with a suitable gift for a woman, beautiful flowers will probably please everyone. Here, as with other gifts, there are rules that should guide us when choosing. Do you know how often to buy flowers for your partner? What should you consider when choosing flowers for a bouquet? Or what can you express with flowers? In collaboration with the world-renowned florist Róbert Bartolen, we have prepared a simple manual for you on how to please a woman with flowers, whether she is your partner, mother or colleague.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU GIVE FLOWERS?
My experience is that most women are happy to receive flowers at any time. And it doesn't even have to be a large number, even one flower is enough. And I know a few gentlemen who buy flowers for their partners just like that, without any reason or holiday. I would recommend that gentlemen give their ladies flowers at least once every two months. So, when we count holidays such as name days, birthdays, International Women's Day, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day, there is still one gift to give outside of these "mandatory" women's holidays. And that could be the wedding date, the date you met or another memorable day. So I consider giving flowers to a woman, a partner, six times a year to be the minimum. Every gentleman who adheres to these deadlines and, in addition, knows how to give flowers at least once a year is a true gentleman to me.
A gift bouquet is an addition to a gift. This bouquet is supposed to create an atmosphere of respect and gratitude. It is supposed to characterize the person being gifted. The colors they love. The flowers they prefer. Or other things that can be incorporated into the bouquet for that person.
An experienced florist will definitely help you choose the right shape and flowers.
HOW TO CHOOSE FLOWERS FOR A BOUQUET?
I always recommend that the customer be aware of the occasion for which the bouquet is intended. If the bouquet is congratulatory and is for a specific moment, such as a wedding or graduation, the flowers must be at their most beautiful and most developed on the day and hour when the bouquet is given. After all, what role will flowers that are in bud and green at the moment of congratulations on graduation play? But if the bouquet is a gift and is supposed to bring joy for at least a few days, the flowers should be as fresh as possible.
AND A CONCLUSION:
The bouquet you give to the recipient should not have any paper, cellophane, or other wrapping material on it. You are only giving plain flowers.
It should be presented with the flowers facing up, certainly not upside down. And don't forget that if the bouquet is turned to one side, the flowers must be facing the recipient.
His works and art installations can be seen not only in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, in prestigious hotels, bars (for example, the Mirror Bar in the Carlton ) and other representative spaces.
Róbert currently devotes his experience and time to active education in professional and art floristry. His publications and articles are published all over the world in professional floristry magazines. In 2020 alone, his works and professional articles were published in more than 68 countries around the world . He also acts as a trendsetter and participates in introducing new flower varieties and their cultivars to the market . His latest success in an international competition is 1st place and platinum award Fusion Flowers International Designer of the Year competition 2019 .
Photo by Róbert Bartolen: Pavol Kulkovský
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT TYPE OF BOUQUET FOR A PARTICULAR OCCASION?
We know many types of bouquets, and most women have encountered at least three in their lives: a congratulatory bouquet, a gift bouquet, and a wedding bouquet.
A congratulatory bouquet , or in other words, a representative bouquet, is a type that is given as a main gift. It is given on very special occasions - a birthday, the birth of a child, graduation, a theater premiere, or other special moments in life.
When it comes to choosing flowers for a bouquet, my secret tip is – always combine flowers that go well together. Bulbous flowers like tulips, hyacinths with spring flowers. Tropical flowers like orchids with woody plants. Always the way they grow in nature.I would also recommend choosing flowers that are naturally available in the season. There are risks involved in transportation that the plant may not be able to handle, and its lifespan will be significantly shortened. And local flowers are less of a burden on the environment.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE WHEN CHOOSING FLOWERS FOR YOUR PARTNER, MOM, COLLEAGUE...?
It's more about feeling, and how well we know our own and the women in our lives. That's how we should approach choosing flowers. It's a reflection of how we notice the details of their personalities, their lives, their hardships, or what they're going through. The closer the person is to the man, the more intimate the bouquet should be, and most importantly, the things in it should evoke memories.
For colleagues or bouquets dedicated as a thank you to a doctor, office worker or nurse, it is appropriate to choose more generally known flowers. Gerberas, roses, carnations. And also neutral colors. White, green, cream... So that the bouquet says only one thing - thank you. Nothing more, nothing less.
Robert Bartolen
Róbert Bartolen is a Slovak florist who considers working in this field as his mission, as he himself says. He has been professionally engaged in the field of floristry since the age of 16. At the age of 19, he taught as an external floristry teacher at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra. He is a multiple recipient of various awards. Since his student days, he has been actively involved as a creative on various projects, and has long-term cooperation with Lýdia Eckhardt, Miss Slovakia, the Bratislava Ball, the Czechoslovak Ball and the Slovak National Theatre. He is engaged in protocol floristry , for example for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic.
