Are you the type of person who stops to smell the roses? Better yet, do you intentionally add roses (or other flowers) to your home, office, garden, or overall aesthetic every day? Research shows there are many benefits to doing so.
Flowers are beautiful, but they offer so much more. They have numerous health benefits, such as improved air quality and allergy relief, while offering multiple mental, social, and aesthetic benefits.
I’ll cover these benefits in more detail, as well as how to take in all the happy-inducing benefits of flowers by incorporating them into your daily life.
Benefits of Flowers
Reduce Stress & Enhance Mood
Including flowers in your daily routine may help alleviate stress. According to a 2023 Gallup poll, 49% of people in the U.S. report frequently feeling stress in their daily lives. Incorporating flowers into your day-to-day life may help you relieve stress. Embracing the beauty of flowers could be a simple yet effective way tool to manage stress.
Many people have a favorite flower for different reasons, but having that flower around makes them feel better. For some, it may be that they simply like the way it looks, smells, or makes them feel. For others, they may have a strong attachment to a flower they associate with strong memories or a certain person in their lives.
Clean the Air
A fresh flower bouquet or small container garden on your deck is hard at work cleaning the air, making it a fresher and healthier space for you! Although it may not be immediately apparent, improved air quality means you’re likely breathing easier without even thinking about it.
Aesthetically Pleasing
Flowers draw us in due to their colorfulness, vibrancy, and uniqueness. There are many shapes and colors to choose from, and pairing the right flowers together, whether in a vase, garden, or accessories, is gorgeous. You can’t help but smile when you see beautiful flowers.
Feed Compassion
There’s a reason flowers are given as gifts at some of the most significant events in people’s lives – sometimes they say what words can’t. Whether it’s an anniversary, a funeral, or a housewarming, flowers show that you care.
Support the Environment
Planting flowers in your garden – whether a large backyard garden or a container garden on your patio – has multiple benefits. Flower gardens promote outdoor activity in nature, support pollinators, and add curb appeal. All of which have mood-boosting benefits.
A Few Ways to Incorporate Flowers into Your Day
Accessories:
Dried Flower Bookmark
Adding pressed flowers to little things you use every day, such as your phone or bookmark if you’re a serial reader, makes these things feel special. Especially if you made them yourself!
Floral Jewelry & Keepsakes
The best thing about real flower jewelry is that you can always keep your favorite flower with you. Jewelry can hold special meanings on its own, and when combined with real flowers—such as your birth flower or petals from your wedding—it adds a new level of significance. Make your own or find something unique on Etsy.
Home:
Bedroom: Pressed Flower Wall Art
Whether you are looking for a unique picture made with real flowers, something abstract, or a name sign, there are plenty of beautiful options. DIY is always an option. The link above is a good beginner-friendly option if you’re pressed flowers aren’t looking as good as you’d like or you have a frame that won’t work well with real flowers.
Living Room: Flower Arrangements
It can be tempting to purchase an already put-together bouquet, but if you are looking to save some money it is cheaper to put one together yourself. Don’t worry about putting together the wrong flowers or it not looking perfect – it’s for YOU so choose flowers you like. If you’d rather buy a bouquet, support your local garden center or check out your local farmer’s market. Most markets I’ve gone to have a seller offering fresh-cut flowers of some kind.
Kitchen: Edible Flower Garden
Add to the health benefits of flowers by adding them to your diet. With a little research, you can find a few to add to your counter or herb garden. I was gifted an AeroGarden for Christmas last year and it has made growing herbs in my small kitchen so easy. Add them to teas, baked goods, syrups, salads, and so much more. Some popular and easy flowers to start with are lavender, chamomile, and rose geranium.
Bathroom: Eucalyptus Arrangement
Technically, eucalyptus is more of a plant than a flower, but I’m going to include it anyway since it is often added as greenery to flower arrangements. I started putting eucalyptus in my bathroom a while ago since my husband gives me flowers every year for our anniversary. I LOVE the way it smells and elevates the look of the space. I’ve seen you can also put them in your shower, but I haven’t tried this (yet.)
Yard/Porch: Pollinator Container Garden
This one is all about choosing native flowers. Research what is native or go to your local garden center. With the growing popularity of native gardens, they should have a few plants to choose from or will be able to point you in the right direction.
Self Care:
Send Yourself an Arrangement
There are plenty of online florists that you can schedule way in advance if you know you will need a pick-me-up on a certain day of the year. If you’re anything like me, you will more than likely forget and your future self will thank you for the much-needed surprise. Maybe sending yourself flowers isn’t your thing – I get it! I like to pick up a bouquet on sale occasionally when I’m at the grocery store or when I’m at the farmers market on Saturday.
Flower Petal Bath
When you are done admiring your flowers, why not extend their life with a calming rose petal bath? There are plenty of ways you can incorporate flowers, such as roses, into your late-night soak – just make sure you are using flowers that haven’t been treated with chemicals.
Car:
Dried Flower Potpourri
Simple, yet effective. Make your own potpourri with an old flower arrangement by drying your flowers and adding them with other elements, such as essential oil and orris root, into a sachet. Potpourri is also perfect for sprucing up a bathroom.
Conclusion
Incorporating flowers into your daily life can bring numerous benefits, from improving mental well-being to enhancing your home’s aesthetic. Whether you wear them as jewelry, plant them in your garden, or use them in home décor, flowers are a simple yet powerful way to enrich your life.