You may never have thought about it before, but there are more flower-giving holidays than the stereotypical Valentine’s Day bouquet. There are actually five main holidays in the United States where it’s common to purchase flowers.
Let’s take a closer look at those holidays, so you don’t miss the perfect opportunity to gift a lovely bouquet to somebody important.
Top 5 Flower-Giving Holidays
These are the five most common flower-giving holidays in the United States.
#1 – Mother’s Day
The number one flower-giving holiday in America is Mother’s Day. Last year, Americans spent an estimated $2.6 billion on Mother’s Day flowers. While most of that money was spent on flowers for the buyer’s mom, people also purchased Mother’s Day flowers for their spouse, mother-in-law, grandmother, sister, or aunt.
The most common flowers for Mother’s Day include tulips, roses, daisies, and lilies. However, any type of flower that the important mother figure in your life loves makes a perfect gift.
#2 – Valentine’s Day
Flowers in general and red roses, in particular, are one of the most popular Valentine’s Day gifts. An estimated $1.9 billion was spent on Valentine’s Day flowers this year.
Interestingly, the percentage of people who celebrate Valentine’s Day has been decreasing, while spending on Valentine’s Day gifts has been increasing.
Apart from roses, other popular Valentine’s Day flowers include orchids, lilies, sunflowers, carnations, tulips, daisies, and alstroemeria.
#3 – Easter
Who wouldn’t want to bring a taste of the outdoors inside for an early spring holiday? Floral spending for Easter has been increasing recently, to an estimated $1.29 billion.
Naturally, Easter lilies are the most common flower on that day. Other popular Easter flowers include tulips, daffodils, daisies, and hyacinths.
#4 – Thanksgiving
Surprisingly, the next most popular holiday for flower-giving is Thanksgiving. However, many people like to have a floral centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner, so it’s a big holiday for buying flowers for yourself rather than somebody else.
Also, most people are also scouting out deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday and stumble onto great flower deals as winter starts to settle in around many parts of the country. The most popular choices for Thanksgiving flowers include Peruvian lilies, sunflowers, orange roses, and chrysanthemums.
#5 – Christmas
If you add Hanukkah and the holiday season in general, Christmas might move up the list. Like Thanksgiving, flowers purchased around Christmas are usually used for decoration rather than given as gifts.
While they’re a plant rather than a flower, poinsettias are the most popular option that time of year thanks to their red and green leaves that represent the holiday spirit. Other popular Christmas flowers and plants include mistletoe, ivy, holly, and Christmas roses.
Other Popular Flower-Giving Occasions
Beyond the major holidays, flowers are an excellent gift for a variety of occasions. Here are some of the top flower-giving occasions outside of traditional holidays.
#1 – Birthdays
Flowers make amazing birthday gifts for just about anybody in your life, from your mom to your partner to your best friend. They make an especially poignant gift when you can’t be with that person to celebrate.
If you know the person’s favorite flowers, then those make the best gift. If you aren’t sure, some popular birthday flowers include peonies, sunflowers, roses, tulips, and alstroemeria.
#2 – Anniversaries
A bright bouquet is a great way to tell somebody that you love them and you cherish the time you’ve been together. They also speak to hope for a bright future in each other’s arms.
While roses are the most common anniversary flower, other options you might consider include ranunculus, mums, and lilies.
Some anniversaries are also associated with their own flowers. For example, carnations are used for a first anniversary because they represent young, passionate love. Roses symbolize the 15th anniversary, and lilies represent the 30th.
#3 – Get Well Soon
Send your best wishes that your loved one will recover from an illness or injury with get well soon flowers. While you should always check hospital rules first, sending a colorful arrangement reminds the recipient that you are in their corner and pulling for them to feel better. They can also help bring a taste of the outdoors to somebody who is stuck inside recovering.
The cheery sunflower is a favorite choice for bringing light to somebody’s hard times. Other excellent flower choices include lilies, ranunculus, tulips, and roses.
#4 – New Baby
Flowers are a common way to welcome a new life into the world and congratulate the new parents. You might send them to the hospital or to the family’s home.
While pink or blue flowers are sometimes used for girls or boys, there are many other great options to choose from. White flowers represent purity, innocence, and new beginnings. Yellow flowers represent the happiness that the parents will experience with their child. Any bold color is a hope for a bright future.
#5 – Sympathy
Grief is one of the hardest things most people will experience in their lifetime. Show support for your loved ones as they grieve with sympathy flowers. White flowers are the most common choice for sympathy flowers, although pastel colors can be appropriate, too. Bold colors can feel inappropriate during a time of grief.
Don’t forget to include a card expressing your sympathy.
Always Remember Flower Gifting Etiquette
Regardless of the holiday, always consider flower gifting etiquette before deciding what arrangement to purchase for somebody. The most obvious example is to think about the fact that flowers have different meanings around the world.
Red roses are a stereotypically romantic flower, for example, so they might be an awkward gift for a coworker or platonic friend. Alternatively, yellow flowers are associated with unfaithfulness in France and breakups in Russia, so they would make a poor choice for a romantic partner from one of those countries.
