MY FAVOURITE DAY IN FEBRUARY IS FEBRUARY 17

Welcome to February! While the most well known day in February is Valentine’s Day on the 14th, my favourite day in February is the 17th - Random Acts of Kindness Day.

‘Growing in popularity, Random Acts of Kindness Day is celebrated by individuals, groups, and organisations to encourage acts of kindness. Giving flowers on this day to those you know - or a complete stranger - is one way you can participate and makes someone else’s day a little bit brighter.’ (Excerpt from A BOUQUET OF WORDS Express Yourself Through the Language of Flowers.)

There are so many ways you can perform a random act of kindness - but I am going to focus on how you can specifically incorporate flowers into the day. We’ll look at two scenarios - the random act of kindness of giving flowers to someone you know and the random act of kindness of giving flowers to a stranger.

Giving flowers to a friend or family member seems like a very natural thing to do, but usually when we give them it is for a specific reason - a birthday or anniversary, to send get well wishes, in sympathy, in congratulations, or to say thank you. But this February 17, why not choose a friend or family member and give them flowers for not one of the usual reasons, but for an unusual reason - one they won’t be expecting. You could say ‘I admire you’ with carnations (admiration); ‘I love your energy’ with orange tulips (enthusiasm); ‘You’re always so much fun’ with a pink hyacinth (playfulness); or ‘Friends forever’ with a kalanchoe plant (lasting affection).

Giving flowers to someone you don’t know (or don’t know well) doesn’t mean you can’t give flowers with a message, the message would just be more general. You could say ‘Have a nice day’ by giving peonies (happy life); ‘Here’s a little something to brighten your day’ with gerberas (cheerfulness); ‘I wish you well’ with allium (good fortune); or just spread a message of kindness by giving some bluebells (kindness). 

But whatever your message, don’t forget to attach a note to your flowers with the meaning - that’s very important.

A final note - you do not need a big budget to perform Random Acts of Kindness with flowers  on February 17. ‘A single stem, an abundant bouquet, or anything in between can all be successful at sharing your sentiments.’ (Tip from A BOUQUET OF WORDS Express Yourself Through the Language of Flowers.)

I’d love to hear your random acts of kindness ideas. Please share in the comments.

Let’s get the world speaking the language of flowers!

Falling in Love with Violets

Every month has a “birth month flower” associated with it. 

February is dominated by one day - Valentine’s Day. And what flower do you automatically think of when you think of Valentine’s Day? The red rose. So naturally you would assume that the flower for the month of February is the red rose; but you would be wrong. The flower for the month of February is the very dainty, pretty, and unassuming violet.

The more I learn about violets, the more I love them. Their delicate beauty and vibrant hues catch your eye, and then capture your heart.

Violets have a delicate sweet scent that has long been used in making perfume. Once popular (it was a favourite of Queen Victoria), over time it came to be thought of as an old-fashioned fragrance. But these days, fragrance houses are finding ways to modernize violet by mixing it with other scents. I’m very much looking forward to going to Jo Malone’s in London and trying their Violet and Amber creation.

Violets are very rare to find as a cut flower. In 2018, there was only one remaining commercial violet farm in the US. If we want to have violets in our homes, we need to be satisfied with the African violet house plant. This plant is very popular, widely available, easy to care for, and makes a lovely gift for just about any occasion. Here are some suggestions:

• Since the violet is the flower for February, it’s a great gift for someone with a February birthday;

• Violets are one of the two official flowers to celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary;

• Violets represent faithfulness because of the way the plant faithfully blooms. You could give this plant to anyone to whom you want to say, ‘I’m always there for you’;

• Violets, with their heart-shaped leaves, also represent love, making it a great gift for Valentine’s Day;

• And finally, because of the size of the plant, they make the perfect gift for someone in a hospital or care facility, someone living in a dorm or other small space, or for someone to put on their desk at work.

While I’m not much of a “plant person”, I do want to have these cheery little flowers in my home, so I’m off to the store to buy one - or maybe two - of these delightful bundles of blooms.