A bouquet of zinnia flowers. My friends and acquaintances know that flowers play a very important part in my life, and I do not mean just at the flower shop. Yes, I have spent most of my more than 80 years working with flowers, not only in the store but as an educator of florists sponsored by FTD in the 70s and then American Floral Services and finally, after their merger, with Teleflora. About halfway through the years, sponsors realized that, when I had a bouquet of flowers waiting in my hotel room, I was happier and really bonded with the audience.

Anne Marie also knew the effect flowers had on me. I will repeat what I have often said in this column. I do not believe that I ever returned from a trip that there was not a bouquet of sweetheart roses or even a single rose in a bud vase on my night table.

Would you believe that during May, I had vases of lily-of-the-valley in every room in the house? I picked them all in my back yard. Loved them.

Of course, we all do our duty and send flowers to friends who are ill. We still remember deceased friends and family with bouquets of flowers, though we have gotten away from those large, showy bouquets in favor of home style arrangements that get a second use when they’re taken home by mourners. We brighten the days our friends are spending in the hospital with lovely flowers. Be sure to take or send them all arranged. Nurses and their aides have more than enough to do, without becoming flower arrangers.

I feel that the most appreciated flowers are the ones that the recipient did not expect. They’re the flowers that arrived after a promotion or special event. So all of these thoughts have got me thinking about other reasons to send flowers and as time went on I compiled a list. I want to tell you about a few wonderful ideas. At least I think that they are great ideas. How many of these have you experienced?

As we have gone through these last terrible months with COVID-19, how many friends, or even people you did not know, went out of their way to help you? Did they take care of the kids when you had a doctor’s appointment, or perhaps they did your grocery shopping for you?

You cannot imagine how appreciated a handful of flowers will be, when you send them to your adult kids to whom you gave a hard time when they insisted that you follow all the rules set forth. Here is another reason to send flowers, but not to your child: You need to send a few flowers to that spouse who encouraged those visits and did not mind that your child was taking time away from the family.

Got a friend who is struggling with a diet. It really is hard to stay with it, especially in these last few weeks when they had to go […]