Have you ever thought of the meaning, names or secrets of the colours of the flowers you've bought to say ‘I love you', ‘Thank-you', ‘Congratulations', ‘Happy wedding day', ‘Get well soon', etc? Egyptians love flowers, but many of them are unaware of their names or significance, so let's probe some of their secrets. "There is an infinitesimal number of different flowers, each having a certain colour and shape. Each one also carries a certain meaning. Here, we sell orchids, baby orchids, gladioli and lilies," says florist Mohamed Bassiouni, 48, who has a shop in Heliopolis, northeast Cairo. For him, flowers are both a job and a hobby. Everyone knows that it's nice to buy one's sweetheart red roses for Valentine's Day, but what about other colours? "Of course it's up to the customer, but I generally recommend pink and red roses for a bouquet being taken to someone in hospital," adds Bassiouni. Ahmed Koteiby, a 44-year-old agricultural engineer, says that each occasion has its colours. "A bouquet of rose, pink and white roses carries the message ‘I love you still and always will'; pink and pale roses mean friendship; rose, red and yellow, congratulations; red tulips mean ‘Believe me'; and variegated tulips mean beautiful eyes," he explains to the Egyptian Mail. "In Egypt, you can also buy clouded geraniums for melancholy, while pink geraniums refer to preference. Red chrysanthemums mean ‘I love you'; white chrysanthemums refer to truth; and yellow chrysanthemums mean ‘slight' love. As for gladioli, they say ‘I'm really sincere'," he adds. According to Koteiby, flowers imported from the West are a little more expensive than those cultivated here, although the seeds are normally imported and the flowers cultivated in Egypt in greenhouses at the required temperature. "Orchids and baby orchid are very expensive, costing between LE70 and LE120 for a bouquet," says Bassiouni, the florist. He adds that the local orchids are a bit cheaper, but the quality is dreadful, as they soon wilt. "Local ones last for three days, imported ones three weeks." Koteiby, meanwhile, asserts that temperature isn't a problem anymore these days, as these flowers are cultivated in greenhouses, but it does require highly experienced workers. Flowers have a strong link with women and their mood, say experts. For example, yellow narcissi give women who are tired and depressed a lift. The smell of a nice bunch of flowers gives any woman a sense of relief after a long, hard day's work. "Some women like flowers to decorate their homes," Koteiby stressed, recommending botes [Arabic for Epipremnum aureum], in addition to narcissi, cloves and jasmine, because they are long lasting. However, they're better on the balcony, because they like a little light," he says. "Of course, flowers are a vital ingredient in the perfume industry, as many perfumes contain baladi (local) flowers, jasmine and narcissi."
