Orange flowers

In the language of flowers, orange sits exactly between red and yellow — and that is precisely how it feels: it has the warmth of passion without its weight, and the cheerfulness of yellow, only richer and earthier. An orange bouquet says joy of life, optimism and energy. It carries no romantic message, which makes it the perfect choice when you simply want to brighten someone's day.

The range of orange cut flowers stretches from delicate orange ranunculus in spring to glowing dahlias in late summer and the Chinese lantern, whose orange husks ring in autumn. Add roses, gerberas and alstroemeria in apricot, salmon and coral — nuances that make a bouquet softer and more modern than pure signal orange.

When combining, you have two strong directions: tone-on-tone with apricot, peach and cream creates the warm, much-requested “peach” look that works from wedding tables to everyday bouquets. If you want contrast, set orange against its complementary blue — delphinium or globe thistle next to orange dahlias is one of the most exciting colour chords there is. In autumn, orange harmonises with bordeaux, copper and grasses.

A practical note from the workbench: orange changes dramatically with the light — it glows in warm evening light but quickly turns brownish under cool artificial light. So place the bouquet somewhere bright, yet out of direct sun. We buy orange varieties fresh and in season at the Veiling and deliberately mix the nuances so the colour gains depth instead of looking flat.