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I’m not supposed to have favorite flowers because all flowers are wonderful, but it’s a lie. SHHHHHHHHH… let’s keep this between us.

Since I live with flowers day in day out, I do have favorites.  It’s human to like things for many various reasons.  Here are 10 of my favorite cut flowers!

1) White Anemones with Black Centers
They are rare.  They are lovely.  They make me laugh and yet there’s something really Audrey Hepburn about them!  Anemones come in blue, purple, red, two color hot pink, and magenta as well, but the white with black is my favorite, known as the Poppy Anemones.

2) Viburnum (known as Snowball)
These are often confused and mistaken for green Hydrangeas but the gracious and romantic Viburnum are one of the most amazing late spring flowers.  They are typically available January through May in hues of bright green and lighter green (which is almost white).  Viburnum has a woody stem that can be as short as 10 inches and as long as 40 inches with multiple heads.  They last anywhere between 3 to 7 days after they are cut.  I would consider them a “mass” flower, beautiful in large arrangements, centerpieces, and bouquets.  It’s not a great boutonniere flower.  The meaning of Viburnum is “BOUND”.

3) Phalaenopsis Orchids
Widely available as a plant.  Rare as a cut flower but one of the most elegant cut flower out there.  It comes in various colors but my favorite is the rare Phalaenopsis that come in a light medium fuschia with veins showing in a burnt yellow/brown stripe.  Boy, this one is very rare but very lovely.  In general, I like so many orchids but this one which looks like a moth is very unique.  Best for centerpieces as the focal flower.

4) Yellow Peony
Another rare Peony, it’s so rare that I’ve never even used it for a floral centerpiece.  We’ve all seen the beautiful white, pink, hot pink, deep red, raspberry peonies but this one has a very large head.  It’s single petal.  I’ve seen it once last year at the flower market.  It’s very expensive and can run $25.00 a stem.  But once you see it, you know why it’s worth every penny.  Typically you can find peonies around January and Feb.  April through June.  Even imported ones around November and Dec.  Many brides like peonies, but they really can’t be found during the middle of summer.  Flowers normally come in bud stages so it takes a few days to open.  They are long lasting.  Typically the flowers are single or double petals.  One bud per stem.

5) Ranunculus
Also known as a Persian Buttercup it comes in many colors ranging from white to yellow, magenta to orange, burgundy to purples.  The purple ranunculus are a bit more rare and I don’t often see them.  Many people say that if you take a tight rose and cut it straight across the petals, it will resemble a ranunculus.  It’s meaning is “RADIANT CHARM”.  I just love their bowl shaped and papery petals.  A wonderful boutonniere flower.  Great for bouquets.  One very unusual color are the green Ranunculus.

6) Deep Red Amaryllis
If you ever seen an Amaryllis you will know why I like them so much.  the Amaryllis is a trumpet shape flowers that’s approximate 6 inches across with a thick hollow stem.  Available during the winter and sometimes during the early spring.  This flower is extremely long lasting and comes packaged one stem at a time.  The stem can be as long as 2 feet.  Available in many colors, my favorite is the deep red which I use for the winter holidays in my arrangement.  Definitely not for boutonnieres or corsages.  It’s too large.

7) ‘Rosita Vendela” Rose
This South American rose is one of my favorites.  It’s bi color with a white underbelly and a hot pink center. This arresting color combination makes them a favorite of mine in bouquets, centerpieces and so many other things.  Great on its own because of it’s wonderful bloom.  Rarely does it bruise.  It’s a great flower for summer weddings.

Brunia
This is a great filler or textural accent.  I love that they come in two sizes, a mini and a regular ball.  Some of them have a chartreuse ball shape flower while others are silver.  A great filler and one of my favorite textures for personal flowers.  Long lasting and comes 10 stems in a bunch.  Available during the winter.  Can also find them late summer.

9) Green Gladiolus
Many people associate Gladiolus with funeral arrangements.  I can understand that since these linear flowers have been around a long time.  When I was little my mom use to do the church altar flowers.  Often she would use them in her large sprays.  It’s understandable that people don’t care for them but in chartreuse green, these gladiolus are so beautiful. Their name means “STRENGTH OF CHARACTER”.  I like that about them.  Each linear stem comes with 3 to 5 florets.  Each floret comes in plain, ruffled, fringed, rosebud-like, and tulip-shaped.  They are bi color and range from the standard to the dainty, miniature gladiolus.  We let ours bloom so that many florets open.  I then remove the florets and wire them to bridal bouquets.  They can look so stunning when used appropriately.

10) Cafe Au Lait Dinner Plate Dahlias
The dahlia is know for it’s daisy like centers.  The are composite blooms which are 4 to 6 inches in diameter but the dinner plate can be as wide as 10 inches.  Stems can grow as long s 3 feet.  In the past several years they have become more popular and thus are more readily available however they do not work very well in heat or in oasis floral foam because their petals are very fragile and transparent.  This is a mass flower that’s really beautiful and elegant.  However, the Cafe Au Lait is my favorite because it like no other color.  It’s a little blush.  A little taupe.  A little beige.  A very rare flowers indeed.