Picking the right colour for your Mother’s Day Bouquet
The colour of a flower arrangement is one of the main things we consider when choosing a gift for Mother's Day. This year, Waitrose Florist, helps us understand the psychology of colours to create a truly personalised, and more special, bouquet. Sharing his secrets on which flowers work best in different single-colour arrangements, Chris' tips are helpful when creating a vintage or contemporary design.
Pink Flowers – for the young at heart
Invoking feelings of tenderness, romance and charm, the colour pink is fresh and fun. As well as being long associated with femininity, it's also the universal colour of love for oneself and others.
• Chris's tips: Rannunculus Pink are brilliant for adding an interesting texture and shape to a bouquet thanks to its layers of petals that sweep and sway like beautiful ball gowns – perfect for adding a dramatic twist. Pink tulips, in season for spring, are very popular in Mother's Day bouquets but if you were looking for something more unusual try Astrantia Pink, a delicate soft flower with star-like petals that surround hundreds of stamens in the centre of the flower. Nerines too offer something different, with their striking long stems and top-loading flower heads bringing a wonderful touch of the contemporary to a pink flower arrangement.
Red Flowers – for a powerful pick-me-up
Typically associated with passion and fervour, the colour red can evoke some very strong emotions. The positive connotations of the colour are those of warmth, energy and strength, and as such, a red-themed bouquet would be a great choice for anyone who perhaps needs an energy boost this Mother's Day.
• Chris's tips: Whilst classic red flower choices include roses and tulips (which are in season this time of year), you can give a red-toned bouquet a more modern twist by using celosia, a flower with an almost crushed velvet texture and a weird and wonderful flame-like shape. Amaranthus Red also have a soft velvety feel, and their red tassle shape makes a fantastic dramatic addition to a red-themed arrangement.
Green Flowers & Foliage – to revitalise and soothe
Green is the very lifeblood of the natural world and has a powerful connection to feelings of harmony, balance and equilibrium. Whatever the shade - olive, bottle, jade or emerald - the colour green is thought to evoke feelings of peace, and is used to help aid rest and restoration.
• Chris's tips: Green is being used more and more in arrangements, as both green flowers and foliage are becoming increasingly fashionable. Rosemary and bay are brilliant additions to a green bouquet, creating depth of tone in a vintage style. They both have a lovely scent and are symbolic as well; rosemary signifies remembrance whereas bay denotes glory. Keeping in with the soft vintage feel, green bell, with its delicate white flowers, makes a pretty addition to a green bouquet, as do green hydrangeas, a traditional flower which adds a gorgeous simple and natural look to any arrangement.
Purple & Violet Flowers – to help find clarity
The colour purple has long been associated with a spiritual awareness and a sense of vision. Because of these qualities, in literature, wizards and sooth-sayers are often dressed in robes of violet and purple, which has meant the colour is often linked with mystery and magic as well. However, purple's original meanings are those of truth and authenticity, making it a nice choice for anyone seeking clarity.
• Chris's tips: Nature has an abundance of different shades of purple, with summer flowers like delphiniums, sweet peas and scabious providing the whole spectrum, from soft pale blues through to deep violet. Freesias would be popular in a purple-tone arrangement thanks to their gentle scent and the range of colours they bloom in. Orchids are lovely as an exotic option, and would definitely add a sense of refinement to a special Mother's Day bouquet. Clematis purple is traditionally a garden plant but can be used as a cut flower to give a bouquet a seasonal vintage twist.
White Flowers – for a new beginning
Classically associated with purity and cleanliness, the colour white is also often linked to feelings of innocence, light and goodness. Thanks to these kinds of positive emotions, the colour white resembles the start of a new beginning. It's also perfect for creating a sense of sophisticated simplicity.
• Chris's tips: White exudes serenity and sophistication – it's cool and breath-taking, and actually has many tones across the entire spectrum. White roses have a good vase life and are a strong classic addition to any arrangement, adding a sense of style and purity within the design. For a natural spring feel snowdrops work wonderfully when used in abundance. For a striking, contemporary twist, try white calla lilies; their elegant heads and strong stems make a graceful statement.
Orange Flowers – to feel safe and loved
Like red, the colour orange is strongly associated with feelings of warmth, however these feelings of warmth have become more linked to a sense of security, well-being and physical comfort. But it's not all about safety and reassurance; shades of orange also invoke a spirit of fun and passion – the perfect colour for many mothers!
• Chris's tips: Add a sense of that fun, fire and energy to an orange arrangement with orange gerberas, they are part of the daisy family and signify cheerfulness and joy. Rannunculus Orange again add that wonderful texture and multi-tone to a bouquet, whereas orange lilies provide a refined bloom and gorgeous fragrance and work really well with other russet tones.
Yellow Flowers – for a self-confidence boost
A colour that represents optimism and hopefulness, yellow helps to promote self-esteem and confidence. Due to these values it is often associated with friendliness, and is closely linked to a sense of creativity too.
• Chris's tips: Yellow really is an enchanting colour, whether it is seen in a cheerful spring daffodil or a soft buttercup. For a yellow-themed Mother's Day arrangement, a classic tulip adds a wonderful spring-time touch and sense of optimism for the summer to come. Whereas sunflowers' rich and warm tones add a mature and impressive element to an arrangement.
Pink Flowers – for the young at heart
Invoking feelings of tenderness, romance and charm, the colour pink is fresh and fun. As well as being long associated with femininity, it's also the universal colour of love for oneself and others.
• Chris's tips: Rannunculus Pink are brilliant for adding an interesting texture and shape to a bouquet thanks to its layers of petals that sweep and sway like beautiful ball gowns – perfect for adding a dramatic twist. Pink tulips, in season for spring, are very popular in Mother's Day bouquets but if you were looking for something more unusual try Astrantia Pink, a delicate soft flower with star-like petals that surround hundreds of stamens in the centre of the flower. Nerines too offer something different, with their striking long stems and top-loading flower heads bringing a wonderful touch of the contemporary to a pink flower arrangement.
Red Flowers – for a powerful pick-me-up
Typically associated with passion and fervour, the colour red can evoke some very strong emotions. The positive connotations of the colour are those of warmth, energy and strength, and as such, a red-themed bouquet would be a great choice for anyone who perhaps needs an energy boost this Mother's Day.
• Chris's tips: Whilst classic red flower choices include roses and tulips (which are in season this time of year), you can give a red-toned bouquet a more modern twist by using celosia, a flower with an almost crushed velvet texture and a weird and wonderful flame-like shape. Amaranthus Red also have a soft velvety feel, and their red tassle shape makes a fantastic dramatic addition to a red-themed arrangement.
Green Flowers & Foliage – to revitalise and soothe
Green is the very lifeblood of the natural world and has a powerful connection to feelings of harmony, balance and equilibrium. Whatever the shade - olive, bottle, jade or emerald - the colour green is thought to evoke feelings of peace, and is used to help aid rest and restoration.
• Chris's tips: Green is being used more and more in arrangements, as both green flowers and foliage are becoming increasingly fashionable. Rosemary and bay are brilliant additions to a green bouquet, creating depth of tone in a vintage style. They both have a lovely scent and are symbolic as well; rosemary signifies remembrance whereas bay denotes glory. Keeping in with the soft vintage feel, green bell, with its delicate white flowers, makes a pretty addition to a green bouquet, as do green hydrangeas, a traditional flower which adds a gorgeous simple and natural look to any arrangement.
Purple & Violet Flowers – to help find clarity
The colour purple has long been associated with a spiritual awareness and a sense of vision. Because of these qualities, in literature, wizards and sooth-sayers are often dressed in robes of violet and purple, which has meant the colour is often linked with mystery and magic as well. However, purple's original meanings are those of truth and authenticity, making it a nice choice for anyone seeking clarity.
• Chris's tips: Nature has an abundance of different shades of purple, with summer flowers like delphiniums, sweet peas and scabious providing the whole spectrum, from soft pale blues through to deep violet. Freesias would be popular in a purple-tone arrangement thanks to their gentle scent and the range of colours they bloom in. Orchids are lovely as an exotic option, and would definitely add a sense of refinement to a special Mother's Day bouquet. Clematis purple is traditionally a garden plant but can be used as a cut flower to give a bouquet a seasonal vintage twist.
White Flowers – for a new beginning
Classically associated with purity and cleanliness, the colour white is also often linked to feelings of innocence, light and goodness. Thanks to these kinds of positive emotions, the colour white resembles the start of a new beginning. It's also perfect for creating a sense of sophisticated simplicity.
• Chris's tips: White exudes serenity and sophistication – it's cool and breath-taking, and actually has many tones across the entire spectrum. White roses have a good vase life and are a strong classic addition to any arrangement, adding a sense of style and purity within the design. For a natural spring feel snowdrops work wonderfully when used in abundance. For a striking, contemporary twist, try white calla lilies; their elegant heads and strong stems make a graceful statement.
Orange Flowers – to feel safe and loved
Like red, the colour orange is strongly associated with feelings of warmth, however these feelings of warmth have become more linked to a sense of security, well-being and physical comfort. But it's not all about safety and reassurance; shades of orange also invoke a spirit of fun and passion – the perfect colour for many mothers!
• Chris's tips: Add a sense of that fun, fire and energy to an orange arrangement with orange gerberas, they are part of the daisy family and signify cheerfulness and joy. Rannunculus Orange again add that wonderful texture and multi-tone to a bouquet, whereas orange lilies provide a refined bloom and gorgeous fragrance and work really well with other russet tones.
Yellow Flowers – for a self-confidence boost
A colour that represents optimism and hopefulness, yellow helps to promote self-esteem and confidence. Due to these values it is often associated with friendliness, and is closely linked to a sense of creativity too.
• Chris's tips: Yellow really is an enchanting colour, whether it is seen in a cheerful spring daffodil or a soft buttercup. For a yellow-themed Mother's Day arrangement, a classic tulip adds a wonderful spring-time touch and sense of optimism for the summer to come. Whereas sunflowers' rich and warm tones add a mature and impressive element to an arrangement.