Do you know the difference between a Garden Rose and a Spray Rose? Do you think Amaryllis is a small town in Texas? Well, you’re not alone. For many consumers flowers are a mystery waiting to be discovered. Unless flowers are an integral part of your working or leisure life, most of us can’t tell a begonia from a buttercup! Below are some little-known secrets about fresh flowers and we think you’ll be surprised by these fun facts.

1. Hydrangea are one of the few flowers that can actually absorb water through their petals. They are one of the most water-craving flowers and require tons of moisture to last through a big event, like a wedding. You can immerse the heads in a bucket for about five minutes for maximum hydration.
2. The ever-popular sunflower actually tracks the position of the sun with its large head, moving from east to west, just as the sun does. This phenomenon is called “heliotropism.” The sunflower head itself is actually made up of a lot of tiny flowers called florets.
3. Tulips are the only flowers that will continue to grow after they’ve been cut. When they droop, one florist’s secret tip is to placing a penny at the bottom of the vase and like magic they will stand up straight again, this could be due to a chemical reaction with the copper in the penny, but we like to think it’s magic. (Bonus Fact: Back in the 1600’s in Holland, the tulip bulb was more valuable than gold and could actually be used as currency!)
4. The rose belongs to the same botanical family as peaches, pears, apricots, strawberries, and apples. They are actually edible, but commercially grown roses may have been treated with pesticides during the growing process so if you want to eat your rose petals we would recommend organic farmed roses. This takes “taste the rainbow” to a whole new level.
5. Snapdragon is so named because it resembles a dragon’s mouth, when you squeeze the sides of the flower, the dragon's “mouth” appears to open and close.

If you already knew these fun facts then chances are you are already friends with a real local florist! If you find these fun flower facts interesting, but they are news to you, then you need to immediately hop in your car and drive directly to the closest local neighborhood flower shop! Inside almost every local flower shop you will find a dedicated floral expert who can share these fun facts and more. This is one of the many benefits of having a relationship with that trusted floral advisor and ordering flowers direct from a local flower shop.