Friendship is a wonderful bond that is worthy to be celebrated and cherished. What better way to express your appreciation for a dear friend than by gifting them a bouquet of lovely, meaningful flowers?
Flowers are a unique way to convey your emotions, and when chosen thoughtfully, they can truly touch anyone’s heart.
In this guide, we’ll explore the best types of flowers to gift to friends and provide you with all the details you need to make your floral gift even more special.
Roses
Botanical Name: Rosa
Origin: Asia
Size: Can reach up to 6 to 8 feet tall
Light: At least 6 hours of full sunlight every day
Water: Every 2 to 3 days
Toxicity: Non-toxic to humans and pets
Roses are a splendid inclusion in gifts for friends, especially when it comes to bouquets and floral arrangements. These flowers come in a variety of colors, and each one has its unique symbolism.
When you wish to express friendship and joy, yellow roses are the perfect choice because they symbolize friendship, happiness, and joy.
They’re also associated with rekindling old friendships, which makes them a wonderful choice if you’re looking to reconnect with someone you’ve lost touch with.
Pink and white roses are also great choices. Pink roses represent admiration and gratitude, while white roses also symbolize friendship.
When combined in one bouquet, yellow, pink, and white roses communicate not only gratitude for the friendship but also the feelings of joy and happiness.
Sunflowers
Botanical Name: Helianthus
Origin: North and Central America
Size: Can reach up to 15 feet tall
Light: At least 6–8 hours of direct sunlight per day
Water: At least 2 times a day, preferably in the morning and late afternoon
Toxicity: Non-toxic to humans and pets
Yellow is universally known as the color of friendship, so sunflowers are a natural choice when it comes to celebrating friendships through gifting. These flowers symbolize adoration and loyalty and can infuse joy and radiance anywhere they go.
Daisies
Botanical Name: Bellis perennis
Origin: Europe and Asia
Size: Can grow up to 8 inches tall
Light: At least 6 hours of full sunlight per day
Water: Water the base at least once a week
Toxicity: Some varieties are mildly toxic
Daisies represent purity, innocence, joy, cheerfulness, and new beginnings. This makes them the perfect flowers to gift to friends who appreciate the little joys in life.
Yellow daisies, in particular, symbolize friendship and well wishes. This also makes them a great choice for lifting someone’s mood or when someone is recovering from illness.
Tulips
Botanical Name: Tulipa
Origin: Central Asia and Turkey
Size: Can reach heights of up to 30 inches
Light: At least 6 hours of direct sunlight every day
Water: Once a week
Toxicity: Toxic to pets and humans if eaten
Tulips are great gifts to friends since they represent joy and renewal. Choosing pink and yellow, in particular, is a fantastic way to express affection and well wishes.
If you add these flowers to a bouquet, it will serve as a message of care and appreciation.
Since they bloom in spring, you may also gift yellow or pink tulips in a pot. This will be a lasting symbol of your friendship, and your friend will be reminded of your thoughtfulness and affection every time these flowers bloom.
Freesia
Origin: South Africa
Size: Can reach up to 6 to 12 inches in height
Light: Thrives in full sun but can tolerate some shade
Water: Once a week
Toxicity: Non-toxic to humans and pets
Freesia flowers symbolize friendship, happiness, and joy and are known for their captivating, citrusy scent. This makes them a fantastic inclusion in bouquets or flower arrangements intended for someone close to your heart.
These flowers come in a variety of colors that you can choose from.
Pink freesias symbolize motherly love and femininity, white ones represent trust, and yellow freesias symbolize happiness, friendship, and trust. You may choose one or mix them in one bouquet to express how much you value your friendship with that person.
Carnations
Botanical Name: Dianthus caryophyllus
Origin: Mediterranean region
Size: Can grow up to 24 inches tall
Light: Thrives in full sun but can tolerate some shade
Water: Once a week
Toxicity: Toxic to pets if ingested
Carnations are also excellent options to gift to friends. Yellow carnations symbolize friendship, joy, and happiness.
Light red ones symbolize admiration and friendship. Gifting pink carnations is also a great choice to express gratitude, while white ones symbolize innocence and are a way to wish your friends good luck.
Depending on the occasion, you can mix the colors to perfectly match the message you want to convey to your friend.
Peruvian Lily
Botanical Name: Alstroemeria
Origin: South America
Size: Can grow up to 3 feet in height
Light: Thrives in full sun but can tolerate some shade
Water: Once a week
Toxicity: Mildly toxic to pets and humans if eaten
A Peruvian lily is a terrific choice when gifting flowers to a friend who’s close to your heart. This flower shows just how much your friend means to you since it symbolizes strength and devotion.
It’s a great way to celebrate the deep bond that you have, especially because they last long in cut flower arrangements.
Peruvian lilies come in a variety of colors, and their meanings apply to aspects of friendship.
White ones symbolize respect, pink symbolizes platonic love, yellow represents hope and warmth, orange signifies joy and excitement, and green represents appreciation.
Orchids
Botanical Name: Orchidaceae
Origin: Asia
Size: Can reach a maximum of 3 feet in height
Light: Thrives in indirect sunlight
Water: Once or twice a week
Toxicity: Non-toxic to pets and humans
Orchids are some of the most popular gifts because they come in different shapes and colors. They have also long been symbols of purity, good health, and prosperity.
Yellow orchids, in particular, symbolize friendship, joy, and new beginnings. This is a perfect gift to friends who are about to start a new chapter in their lives and as a way to cheer for them.
It’s also believed that gifting orchids is a symbol of a long-lasting friendship.
Chrysanthemums
Origin: Asia and Northeastern Europe
Size: Can grow up to about 6 inches tall
Light: 6 hours of full sunlight per day
Water: Twice a week
Toxicity: Mildly toxic to pets
Gifting chrysanthemums carries a powerful message of optimism. These flowers represent happiness, joy, trust, and hope for a brighter future, which makes them a splendid choice when you want to convey your affection to a friend.
The different colors of chrysanthemums have meanings that are significant in friendship as well. Yellow chrysanthemums symbolize celebration, while green ones are associated with good luck and health, and orange blooms signify joy and happiness.
For a friend who may be feeling unwell or disheartened, purple chrysanthemums are a thoughtful choice.
Bluebells
Botanical Name: Hyacinthoides non-scripta
Origin: Western Europe
Size: Can reach up to 12 inches in height
Light: Thrives in partial to full sunlight
Water: Twice a week
Toxicity: Toxic to humans and pets if eaten
Bluebells symbolize gratitude, kindness, humility, and constancy. When you want to apologize or simply send kind thoughts to a friend, bluebells are an exceptional choice.
Opt for purple or lilac bluebells when you want to express gratitude, blue ones to convey a sense of humility, and pink bluebells to show constancy and lasting affection.
Asters
Origin: America, Africa, Europe, and Asia
Size: Can reach a maximum of 6 feet in height
Light: Thrives in full sun but can tolerate some shade
Water: At least once a week
Toxicity: Non-toxic to humans and pets
Gifting asters is a gesture that shows the love and care that you have for your friend. They symbolize daintiness and charm, which makes them an affectionate way to compliment your friend.
In ancient Greece, asters were placed on the altars of their deities as a way to express faith, love, and wisdom.
Zinnia
Origin: Mexico and Central America
Size: Can grow up to 4 feet
Light: At least 6 to 8 hours of full sun per day
Water: St least 2 times a day, in the morning and late afternoon
Toxicity: Non-toxic to humans and pets
In Victorian times, zinnias were believed to be messengers of thoughts for friends who were far away. These flowers are a great way to let your long-distance friends know that they are in your thoughts.
Opt for yellow zinnias to convey the essence of friendship, green for symbolizing new beginnings, orange to wish your friends success, and pink ones to express non-romantic love and affection.
Zinnias also symbolize affection, which is another great way to brighten a friend’s day.
Lavender
Botanical Name: Lavandula
Origin: The Mediterranean, the Middle East, and India
Size: Can reach a maximum of 24 inches in height
Light: At least 6 to 8 hours of full sun per day
Water: Once every two weeks
Toxicity: Can be toxic to pets if eaten
The lavender adds a lovely fragrance to any floral gift or arrangement that you gift to your friend. It also symbolizes devotion, love, trust, and serenity, which makes it excellent for floral gifts when you want to express your care and affection.
Lavender has a fragrance that suits spas; it can be especially soothing for a friend experiencing stress.
Daffodils
Botanical Name: Narcissus
Origin: Northern Europe
Size: Can grow up to 16 inches in height
Light: Thrives in full sun but can tolerate some shade
Water: Once a week
Toxicity: Toxic to pets and humans if eaten
Daffodils symbolize joy, renewal, and new beginnings.
Enhance the warmth of your springtime friendship bouquet by adding daffodils. You can also offer a lasting gift by gifting daffodil bulbs that will bring sunny blooms when planted in a pot.
Peonies
Botanical Name: Paeonia
Origin: Western North America, Asia, and Europe
Size: Can grow to a maximum of 3 feet tall
Light: At least 6 to 8 hours of full sun per day
Water: Once a week
Toxicity: Toxic to pets and humans if eaten
Peonies are associated with compassion, happiness, prosperity, and success.
Yellow peonies, in particular, symbolize friendship, joy, and good fortune. They are frequently used in floral arrangements to celebrate the essence of friendship and new beginnings.
Considerations for Gifting Flowers to Friends
When selecting flowers to gift to your friends, consider these important factors to make the gesture even more special:
- Favorite Colors: Take into account your friend’s favorite colors when selecting the flowers for the bouquet.
If they love shades of blue and purple, consider flowers like lavender and irises. If they prefer vibrant and bold colors, go for roses, tulips, or sunflowers in those hues.
- Flower Types: Consider your friend’s favorite flowers.
Do they have a particular fondness for roses, lilies, or daisies? Including their preferred blooms in the bouquet shows that you’ve put extra thought into the gift.
- Meaningful Themes: If your friend has a hobby or interest, you can choose flowers that align with those themes.
For a nature lover, wildflowers or rustic arrangements might be a great choice. Alternatively, for an art enthusiast, you can select flowers with vibrant and artistic appeal.
- Fragrance: Some people appreciate the scent of flowers as much as their visual beauty.
If your friend has a preference for fragrant flowers, consider including varieties like roses, lilies, or lavender that are known for their captivating scents.
- Sentimental Touch: Adding a personalized note can elevate your gift’s significance. Share a fond memory, express your gratitude for their friendship, or write down a meaningful message to make the gesture even more touching.
- Occasions and Milestones
- Birthdays: For a birthday celebration, you can choose vibrant and cheerful blooms like sunflowers, daisies, or a mix of colorful flowers.
Also, consider your friend’s age and preferences when deciding between a youthful and playful arrangement or a more elegant and sophisticated one.
- Promotions and Achievements: To celebrate professional accomplishments, go for elegant flowers like orchids or roses. For academic achievements, vibrant and joyful flowers like tulips or vibrant daffodils are fitting choices.
These flowers symbolize growth, new beginnings, and a bright future and convey a sense of success and appreciation for your friend’s hard work.
- Sympathy and Comfort: In times of sorrow or difficulty, choose gentle and calming flowers like white lilies or soft pastel-colored blooms. These express your support, care, and sympathy for your friend during challenging times.
- “Thinking of You” Moments: When there’s no specific occasion but you want to remind your friend of your appreciation, go for versatile and universally appreciated flowers like mixed roses.
This communicates your affection and thoughtfulness.
- Mother’s Day: If your friend is a mother, or if you want to honor their role as a caregiver, consider flowers like carnations that represent love and admiration.
You can also add personal touches like a card to express your appreciation for their nurturing qualities.
