9 Reasons Carnations Are Actually the Best

Don't turn your nose up at these blooms.

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They Make for Hardy Bouquets
Carnations get a bad wrap for looking cheap in fresh-cut arrangements. But the truth is that they can last a very long time in a vase (sometimes more than 14 days — talk about getting your money's worth). And, frankly a tidy bunch of carnations is more stylish than you remember.

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Their Name Is Heavenly
The scientific name for carnations is Dianthus, which is taken from the Greek words "dios," referring to the Greek God Zeus, and "anthos," which means "flower." The literal translation is "flowers of the God" or "heavenly flower."

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Each Color Has a Different Meaning
Carnations are known for their rainbow spectrum of hues, and each color conveys a different message. Pale red carnations express "admiration," dark red means "deep love," pink signifies "gratitude," yellow conveys "disappointment" and white means "purity, sweetness and luck."

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They Have a Spicy Scent
Struggling to grow a sweet-scented rose garden? Carnations are easy to grow, long-blooming, and emit an unexpected scent similar to cloves.

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They're World Record Holders
The largest flower awareness ribbon (which was created to raise awareness for breast cancer research) was made out of105,000 pink carnations, according to Guinness World Records.

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They're Presidential
The carnation has been Ohio's state flower since 1904. It honors President William McKinley (an Ohioan) who liked wearing red carnations on his jacket's lapel.

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They're Edible
Although dangerous for pets, carnations are edible for humans and can be used for decorating cakes or for eating. The flowers have a combination of a sweet taste from the petals and a more bitter taste from the base of the flower. Carnation petals are also used to make Chartreuse, a French liqueur.

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They're Used as Perfume
The French love carnations' scent, and extracting the flower's oils for perfume and skin cream.

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They've Got Global Appeal
The carnation is the national flower of Spain, Monaco, and Colombia, but Bogota, Colombia is known for growing them. Carnations first came to the United States in 1852.

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6 Lovely Herbs for Aromatic Floral Arrangements

By Emily Dabau

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