It is impossible to be certain as to when the floristy originated. The early signs of it could be traced back to the Egyptian Period (2800 BC to 28 BC). Egyptians used to decorate their guests with garlands and wreaths for ceremonies. They also used flowers for decorations on banquet tables! During the early beginning of recorded history we can find some evidence of flower giving; for example, in Egyptian hieroglyphics, in very early Chinese writings, and also in the Ancient mythology of the Greek and Roman civilizations. It is believed that Persian military used the practice of encoding messages in the flowers.
Flowers were sent as messages, because if they were intercepted by the enemy it would be very unlikely that the enemy would suspect any kind of message at all. Ancient history aside, perhaps the real beginning of flower giving as we know it today was in the Middle Ages, where flowers where given as signs of affection by lovers. It became common among affluent people to send a bouquet to the sweetheart with their armor-bearer instead of giving this bouquet in person. We can find evidence of this in the pages of historical novels and in historical films. It is impossible to say when the first bouquet was delivered, but very likely it was around that time.
According to some sources, flower shops existed in the 14th century and their owners for a special fee could deliver a bouquet to a woman (often married one) from a secret admirer.
Such kind of orders were quite popular at that time and could act as a secret message from the giver to the recipient. Cut flowers have had a place in the homes of North America for longtime. Migrants from diverse backgrounds brought their traditional floral crops along with their fruits and vegetables and flowers were grown in home and market gardens along with food crops. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, commercial flower production was on the outskirts of the cities and flowers and plants were sold locally. Floral design became strong and gained popularity after WWI, when local growers, wholesalers and retailers provided the population with the fresh flowers. Growers and wholesalers provided local flower shops with flowers. Florists were, with few exceptions, the only flower vendors in town and that’s where a person wishing to purchase flowers went to get flowers.
After WWII, transportation from overseas increased which introduced exotic blossoms to American floral design. Offshore production of cut flowers began in the late 1970s and changed the floral bussiness a lot.
Flower growing was quickly becoming an international business and was gravitating to countries with ideal year-round conditions and low wages. At the same time flowers-by-wire services were growing offering remote deliveries for their customers. In the late 1980s, credit cards came into wide usage and removed the payment obstacle for customers who wanted to place out-of-town orders directly with florists themselves. In the 90s with the exponential growth of Internet usage more consumers started shopping from their computers. Very soon the customers could surprise their beloved ones with flowers at the doorstep not only in another US city but also internationally.
In the year 2000, FlowersUSSR was established as the first American company to provide flowers and gifts delivery to the countries of the former Soviet Union (flower delivery to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Estonia and others). Since then we have grown and bloomed and are also providing flowers delivery worldwide. We have a very fast and efficient network of florists that participate in our mission to provide you with the best possible service for the best possible price.
