Favourite Flowers

Long before we scroll for inspiration or search for meaning in crowded calendars, nature is already making statements: bold, quiet, unapologetically beautiful. Some arrive early, defying frost with their optimism. Others burst onto the scene like travelers from a different world, vibrant and impossible to ignore. And some, timeless as ever, bloom with a beauty that dares you to look closer — and to handle with care. This isn’t just a meditation on petals and colors. It’s about timing, presence, and the art of being.

Mucho antes de que busquemos inspiración en una pantalla o tratemos de encontrar sentido entre calendarios abarrotados, la naturaleza ya está hablando: con fuerza, en silencio, y con una belleza que no pide disculpas. Algunas llegan temprano, desafiando la escarcha con su optimismo. Otras irrumpen como viajeras de otro mundo, vibrantes e imposibles de ignorar. Y algunas, tan eternas como siempre, florecen con una belleza que te invita a mirar más de cerca — y a tratarlas con cuidado. Esto no es solo una meditación sobre pétalos y colores. Es una reflexión sobre el tiempo, la presencia y el arte de simplemente ser.

Na długo zanim zaczniemy przeglądać inspiracje lub szukać sensu w zapełnionych kalendarzach, natura już przemawia: odważnie, cicho i bezkompromisowo pięknie. Niektóre pojawiają się wcześnie, przeciwstawiając się mrozom z optymizmem. Inne wkraczają na scenę niczym podróżnicy z innego świata, pełne życia i nie do przeoczenia. A jeszcze inne, ponadczasowe jak zawsze, rozkwitają pięknem, które prowokuje, by przyjrzeć się bliżej — i obchodzić się z nimi delikatnie. To nie tylko medytacja o płatkach i kolorach. To refleksja o czasie, obecności i sztuce bycia.

Narcissus

Origin & Name

• Native to: Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia.
• The name Narcissus comes from Greek mythology — a youth named Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection and was turned into a flower.
• Despite that myth of vanity, daffodils often symbolize rebirth, renewal, and hope due to their early spring bloom.

Botanical Description

Symbolism

Fun Facts

• Toxic: All parts of the plant are toxic if ingested, especially the bulbs.
• Resilient: One of the earliest flowers to bloom in spring, often pushing through snow.
• Natural Pest Repellent: Deer, rodents, and rabbits usually avoid them.

Cultural + Artistic Presence

• Widely featured in poetry, art, and religious symbolism.

Most famously celebrated in William Wordsworth’s poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, which begins:

“I wandered lonely as a cloud,
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils…”

Bird of Paradise

Origin & Name

• Native to: South Africa.
• Named Strelitzia after Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King George III of England.
• Called “Bird of Paradise” because the flower’s shape and vibrant colors resemble a tropical bird in flight.

Botanical Description

Symbolism

Fun Facts

• Though it looks like a tropical flower, it is not related to true tropical rainforest flowers.
• Pollinated by sunbirds in its native habitat—when the bird lands on the spathe, the flower opens to dust pollen on its feet.
• The plant's structure is an excellent example of co-evolution with specific bird species.
  

Cultural + Artistic Presence

• Iconic in tropical floral arrangements and gardens.
• Frequently featured in botanical art, travel photography, and luxury branding due to its striking, sculptural form.
• The white version (Strelitzia Nicolai) is often called the "Giant White Bird of Paradise" and can grow over 20 feet tall, resembling a small tree.

Rose

Origin & Name

• Native to: Europe, North America, and Asia (particularly China and the Middle East).
• Cultivated for thousands of years, with fossil records dating back over 35 million years.
• The name Rosa is Latin, used since antiquity in Roman and Greek literature.

Botanical Description

Symbolism

Roses are also a symbol of:

• Secrecy (sub rosa – "under the rose")
• Political symbols (e.g. Wars of the Roses, socialist and labor movements)
• Religious devotion, especially in Christianity (e.g., the Virgin Mary, rosaries)

Fun Facts

• There are over 30,000 named varieties (cultivars) of roses.
• Some varieties (like Damask roses) are used for rose oil and perfume.
• Roses are used in culinary dishes, especially in Middle Eastern and Persian cuisine (rose water, rose jam).
• Thorns on roses are actually prickles (outgrowths of the epidermis, not true thorns).
  

Cultural + Artistic Presence

• Featured in poetry, music, religion, art, and mythology for centuries.
• Famous literary reference: "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" — Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet).
• National flower of several countries: England, United States, Bulgaria, Iran and Iraq.