- City Market florist Karis says some flowers smell good while others have a natural scent that is not always pleasant.
- He says ladies don't have to sniff the flowers, they can just receive them and be happy.
Image: WINNIE WANJIKU
There is always a fuss about flowers whenever valentines day approaches.
Women are even advised to start planting their flowers early if they expect to receive flowers on that day.
Think of a girl's reaction whenever she receives flowers, the excitement and the move to sniff the petals.
That leads one to ask, what is the relationship between girls and flowers?
Laura, who was purchasing flowers at the market, said what excites her about being gifted flowers is that she feels as beautiful as the flowers brought to her.
"This is why you must know a girl’s favourite flower, "she said.
She believes ladies are like flowers, aesthetically pleasing to look at.
Laura said she feels flowers smell like a fence.
"When I first sniffed roses, I thought those ladies on TV who always sniff the rose and say they smell nice must have had their roses perfumed," she said.
City Market florist Karis says some flowers smell good while others have a natural scent that is not always pleasant.
He terms the move to sniff the flowers as an exaggeration.
"Not all roses have a nice scent nowadays, but previously they did, nowadays due to chemicals used on the flowers, the scent is lost. Though there are flowers that smell nice, the move by girls to always sniff the petals is an exaggeration," he said.
Karis also warned against spraying the flowers with perfume saying it scorches the petals.
"Spraying the petals is destroying the flower," Karis said.
He says ladies don't have to sniff the flowers, they can just receive them and be happy.
Karis also said most of those who come to buy flowers mostly pick on roses, yet wildflowers last longer compared to roses which wither fast.
Image: WINNIE WANJIKU
Women have always been fascinated by flowers. As children, girls used petals to decorate their mud-play cakes.
Young girls also put flowers in their hair for aesthetic purposes.
But while it is women who are always fascinated by flowers, florists note that they make 70-80 per cent of their sales from men throughout the year.
With the sales reaching peak levels in February.
Karis said a single rose flower ranges from Sh30-80 while bouquets range from Sh500 to Sh3000 for a water bouquet.
Then a flower basket costs Sh4500.
Florist Anne Nyaga said there is a way flowers ought to be taken care of.
She said once a lady receives her flowers, she is advised to keep them in a vase while changing the water daily.
"Flowers have to be taken care of, if you let them stay in the same water, an awful smell will come of them and they will rot," Nyaga said.
Nyaga said to preserve the flowers to last longer, there is flower food which is a powder put in the water before putting the flowers in the vase.
She described flowers to be very delicate and advised women who spray their flowers with body sprays to do it on the leaves and not the petals.
Nyaga said there is a specific spray for flowers that can go on the petals and can be found in flower shops.
Florence who had come to buy her daughter flowers for her 18 birthday said it is good for mothers to ensure their daughters are used to such gifts lest they get excited when men do it for them.
"I even take her for manicures because I want her as she grows and gets to college men don't entice her with such gifts. That it be a lifestyle she is used to," she said.
Florence believes buying her daughter flowers and giving her gifts will boost her self-esteem.