To be irritated by receiving flowers

[DappledThings]

Firstly let be clear I did politely thank the sender, I'm not terrible. But I was sent flowers in the post yesterday and my only reaction was annoyance.

I don't own a vase so had to find a jug big enough for them. Loads of random wrapping that makes a big mess, loads of water in the wrapping that I didn't know about so flooded the table, spilt half the packet of the food liquid stuff which is very sticky, couldn't cut through the thick stems with first pair of scissors and had to use a knife.

Then they last a little while and don't even look that nice, and once they are past their best there's smelly, slimy water to deal with a drippy bunch of dead plant matter to chuck away.

I would happily never be sent or given flowers ever again. Just me or anyone else not like them?

😂

Beautiful peonies @giantangryrooster!
I send a lot of flowers, am now thinking I won’t bother again - I’ll just send them to myself

I love flowers but I love them as living things not cut and then wilting in a vase for a week or two. My DH used to give me big bouquets of flowers which I was suitably grateful for - especially the ones I got delivered to me at work once, ha! However, he now knows I'd much rather have a potted orchid - they look beautiful and last ages.

YANBU, I don't like them either. Too much faff and mess and then it's depressing when they die. I'd rather have something I can eat/drink ~or just have the money~

Don’t be silly! They’d never fit in the vase

And it's been nearly a week and none of them have gone slimy yet. You do have to trim off the lower leaves so they don't rot in the water, and after a few days take out any stems of fading or drooping flowers. It's a bit of a faff but worthwhile.

I like a nice bunch of flowers but also get annoyed by everything you mentioned

Watching the flowers you get given after a bereavement as they sit in a vase and slowly wither whilst you sit on the sofa contemplating mortality isn’t much fun.

I know this is so not the thread, but no leaves in the water and a few drops of bleach when you change the water, it stops it going yuk for a long time .

Can't get over the image of donkey in a vase 🤣.

I am in the OP's camp. Nice to be thought off, but they are a faff to deal with and will always be gracious and say thankyou.
Another one is that I don't actually have an appropriate surface... So they end up in middle of our table but everything is a squash and everyone whinges about them being in the way so they are rarely appreciated by anyone...

@FleurDaxeny

Adopt a donkey instead?

other animals are available...
(Chester Zoos otters and red pandas were fab a couple of years ago grin)

I think that went into the "virtue signalling" gift category on that thread 😂

Really? Well, I enjoyed visiting mine

@LillianBland

Adopt a donkey instead?

other animals are available...
(Chester Zoos otters and red pandas were fab a couple of years ago grin)

Don’t be silly! They’d never fit in the vase!

Right...there's always one!

You don't get to take them home with you, you know

Although, I think the Red Panda would give my cats something to think about

You don't get to take them home with you, you know
I have read the David Walliams book on the danger of this believe many times.

Ha ha, sounds like you don't appreciate them.
I love flowers, if you treat them well you won't end up with sludgy water.
find some suitable scissors, or better still secateurs, and buy a vase, or put one on a present list.
They'd have arrived dead without the water and if they are the one with the wrapping, you just leave them in the wrapping, nothing to do except keep topping up with water, so they don't dry up. The plant food just needs a little snip at the top, your scissors would have done this fine.
Just make a general text saying you don't appreciate flowers and not to send them, that should do the trick if you really don't like them.

I love flowers but I prefer to receive growing plants.

How about a photo of the WW1 poppies at Caernarfon Castle, OP?
You don't need a vase, and you don't need to worry about donkey 💩

Now I want a red panda. Next birthday maybe!

Well my late neighbor adobted a donkey and it came to visit. You wouldn't believe how noisy and loud they are. Really glad it was only a visit .

The red panda on the other hand... Would probably give my cats something to think about too .

YANBU for all of what you said, but also the environmental impact of growing, packaging, and transporting them. They are probably slathered in pesticides.

www.greenjournal.co.uk/2019/08/the-environmental-impacts-of-the-cut-flower-industry/

Really?
Well, I enjoyed visiting mine smile

My kids got some, they loved the present and their animals!

It wasn't a popular item on the gift thread though.. I can't for the life of me remember if anything actually was popular on there

I am shocked that people consider flowers hard work! It takes about two minutes to sort them out. I absolutely love sending and receiving flowers. It hadn't even occurred to me that there might be people who don't like them.

How about a photo of the WW1 poppies at Caernarfon Castle, OP?

I thought the display at the Tower of London was very impressive. Didnt know they had done it elsewhere too. It's a very effective artwork I think.

Much better than the state sanctioned mass littering event round these parts on VE Day when paper petals were dropped out of a plane. Biodegradable allegedly. Still litter as far as I'm concerned.

I prefer to receive growing plants.

I'm a bit fatal to houseplants. At least cut flowers aren't supposed to last long.

I love a small bunch of daffodils or tulips. Small, pretty, can go in a pint glass and last well. Anything bigger is a mildly stressful faff and I actually think looks less nice.

I like flowers because when they have a limited life so they don’t clutter things up for long. And because of that, if I get ugly flowers I don’t feel guilty for chucking them straight in the garden waste. Whether they are beautiful or ugly I am always touched by the thought and am happy to thank the giver and send them a thank you.

I HATE being given things to plant in the garden. I hate gardening and so the gift becomes just another chore. They also go straight in the garden waste and I pretend my lack of green thumbs killed them off. I still thank the giver nicely.