# Women and Flowers. What's the attraction? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 29, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687 "2003-07-29T16:31:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![maskedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/fbc32d/32.png) [@maskedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maskedman)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/1 "2003-07-29T16:31:58Z")
Florists, please help. Why are flowers the perfect gift/sentiment to give to a woman? Why do women like this? Is it the flowers themselves, or what they represent? ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/2 "2003-07-29T17:17:10Z")
I hate flowers. They stink and they die. Why not give someone a puppy with a broken neck? Same principle. “Awww, so cute…to bad it won’t last.” Utter waste of money. Give me something useful, like chocolate. (Heh.) Or maybe a garden plant or something if you’re stuck on the whole “floral” thing. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/3 "2003-07-29T17:42:24Z")
Flowers smell nice and look pretty. Women do, too. Get the connection? ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/4 "2003-07-29T19:47:50Z")
I’m a flower-lovin’ lady. And basically for **Nametag** ’s reason…they are pretty and often smell nice. I also come from a family of people who like to garden. In fact, I was just admiring my petunias… ---
**Author:** ![UnwrittenNocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6de8d8/32.png) [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/5 "2003-07-29T20:01:32Z")
Guy checking in. It is not just women. I love getting flowers. They are pretty, smell nice and brighten my day(s). If my SO buys me flowers she gets biggggg kisses (OK she does anyway but you get the point). ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/6 "2003-07-29T20:03:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voguevixen \* > \*\*I hate flowers. They stink and they die. Why not give someone a puppy with a broken neck? \*\* Awww . . . You just reminded me of my boyfriend Paul, who used to give me puppies with broken necks . . . [sigh] ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/7 "2003-07-29T20:03:39Z")
I used to be like vougevixen. I, too, am a pragmatist and can think of many, many ways to spend money that would go towards flowers. I recently, however, acquired a few high-end vases and think they look just peachy with a few exotic flowers in them. You’d be suprised how a chic floral arrangement spruces up a kitchen, dining room, living room and entry way. I’ve got a bit of an allergy problem so I can’t have them in my bedroom. 'Tis a shame, too. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/8 "2003-07-29T21:24:58Z")
I’m sure the fact that a guy has to spend money, make the effort, and perhaps show a little taste in picking the flowers is worth something too. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/9 "2003-07-29T21:51:58Z")
Another guy who LOVES flowers; I even buy them for myself. Of course the best are home-grown. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/10 "2003-07-29T21:57:58Z")
I’m not too fond of “flowers on demand” type occassions, like valentines and anniversarys where you can blow 50 or a 100 dollars at a pop. However, that said, I like flowers. I prefer them potted so I can enjoy them in the house and then move them out to a flower bed later, but I even enjoy cut flowers. I like it when my little boys would bring in handfuls of dandelions or daisies and I like it now that he’s a teen when he grabs a $3 package from the grocery for the kitchen table. I like the way they look and I like the pleasing fragrance. I like the sentiment of “here Mom, I thought of you when I saw these”. I like that it’s NOT chocolate. I’m already fat enough, thank you very much. A little experiment for you: Clean the house and put everything in order. Sit back and wait for SO’s (either gender) reaction. Clean the house and put everything in order. Put an arrangement of flowers, potted or cut in the center of the dining or kitchen table. Sit back and wait for SO’s (either gender) reaction. Plants and flowers add something. I’m not sure how to articulate it, but I bet most of the time your efforts would be more noticed with the addition of flowers/potted or a plant, than without. ---
**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/11 "2003-07-29T22:06:37Z")
Perhaps there’s a sexual agenda: they are, after all, the reproductive organs of plants. I’ve occasionally wondered if, on an alien world populated by sentient plants, they’d give each other bunches of animal sexual organs (perhaps a bouquet of tiger willies?). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/12 "2003-07-30T03:50:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AbbySthrnAccent \* > \*\*I’m not too fond of “flowers on demand” type occassions, like valentines and anniversarys where you can blow 50 or a 100 dollars at a pop. \*\* Neither am I. What does warm my little heart is when my husband gives me a pretty bouquet he picked up at the grocery store “just because.” It’s just the idea that he was thinking of me. Every time I look at them, it makes me smile. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/13 "2003-07-30T15:43:36Z")
I’m a guy & women give me flowers too…yep, nothing like giving someone a big bunch of sex organs of a plant to stuff their nose into. Women like the gentle perfume of flowers. Few guys seem to have a clue how to pick the right flowers for a woman & what their meaning is. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/14 "2003-07-30T16:01:09Z")
What’s interesting about this is that now, with the internet, you can just whip out a credit card, go to one of these cites and buy someone flowers in literally seconds, not putting any thought into it whatsoever. And women will get these and think to themselves “_Oh, he’s so romantic!_” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/15 "2003-07-30T17:40:39Z")
It’s simple: They’re pretty. Yeah, they won’t last forever. But if you spend three bucks on a bouquet that’ll last a couple of weeks, that’s pretty low on the scale of decorating expenses. And Abby, you can never be too fat for chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/16 "2003-07-30T17:51:42Z")
Seriously though, you never noticed that roses smell like urine? It smells like a homeless person in a vase!! Sure I have flowers in my yard, but that’s where they stay for the most part. (I confess a nice vase does make all the difference. Someone gave us a gorgous Mikasa vase for our wedding but I save it for Xmas when I fill it with ornaments and other sparkly things that really show it off.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/17 "2003-07-30T17:58:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Surreal \* > \*\*What’s interesting about this is that now, with the internet, you can just whip out a credit card, go to one of these cites and buy someone flowers in literally seconds, not putting any thought into it whatsoever. > > And women will get these and think to themselves “_Oh, he’s so romantic!_” \*\* Shhhh! ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/18 "2003-07-30T19:28:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by maskedman \* > \*\*Why are flowers the perfect gift/sentiment to give to a woman? > Why do women like this? \*\* I’m a woman. I _hate_ flowers. They mean absolutely nothing to me – zero sentimental value\*. I don’t think they are pretty and the smell makes me think of funeral homes. They just end up being half-dead plants that end up dropping petals all over the place and making my vase look swampy. I know “it’s the thought that counts,” but a guy who gives me flowers is demonstrating that he really doesn’t know me very well and doesn’t have a good sense of my personality. Give me a cool lookin’ piece of driftwood, a beautiful stone (as in “rock” not “gem”), or a vase with pieces of coloured glass inside – fine, pretty. Flowers? Bleh. I like flowers when I’m outdoors in nature. Uprooted in a vase? Wrecks the charm. I try to be gracious when people give me flowers, but I’m sure that I still end up with a blank expression on my face as if I was just handed a roll of paper towels. \*The exception being a friend who made me origami flowers – now those were cool. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/19 "2003-07-30T20:07:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > **…yep, nothing like giving someone a big bunch of sex organs of a plant to stuff their nose into.** Handy, you honeydripper. I gotta steal that line. 😛 **maskedman** , I don’t think you’ll ever get a totally factual answer but in any event don’t overanalyze. Men and women typically look at asthetic things differently. I just accept that as a fact and make use of it. Once in a while I manage to slip out of neanderthal mode and get pretty flowers for my beautiful wife. She also appreciates that I am reasnably frugal and don’t get soaked when I buy flowers. Thank goodness for Costco and [kabloom.com](http://kabloom.com). If the mood strikes I can get two dozen roses for $13 while I’m buying dogfood and paper towels. Just last night I bought some for TheLadyLion and she was delighted. She tends toward bright and sometimes nontraditional colors so I got orange roses. I was cutting the stems when she got home last night and rewarded me with many big smooches. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687/20 "2003-07-30T20:10:54Z")
[quote] …Few guys seem to have a clue how to pick the right flowers for a woman & what their meaning is… - handy\* - - - Well DUH!! Green roses mean “do not expect the return of your motor vehicle” and black roses mean “visit your doctor soon”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-flowers-whats-the-attraction/191687.md?page=2)