We defend the cloves
Starting all over… The Mediterranean basin is considered to be the homeland of the carnation. Already the ancient Gracy and the Romans recognized this flower as divine. Hence its name dios (god) and anthos (flower) = Dianthus. I admit they had a feeling.
Cloves include approx. 300 species, originating from the areas of, among others, Eurasia and North Africa. Their heights vary between 20 and 60 cm. Low varieties, grown on rockers and flower beds, are popular, e.g. dotted cloves, rock cloves or my favorite garden varieties with petals resembling cornflowers. Natural and graceful.
Another type of carnation can be called cut flower. They are available in flower shops in the form of full or branch flowers, in a very wide color shade. It is cloves that still occupy the first place in the global list of the most produced and sold flowers. The countries that are currently leading the way in their cultivation are Colombia and Kenya. The most popular are varieties with pure, intense flower colors: red, white and pink. In addition to the popular species and colors, numerous blends are still being made today. A much wider range of colors applies to branch varieties. Manufacturers offer more and more unusual colors, e.g. in shades of terracotta or colors resembling cosmic galaxies. Yes, the like also exist for real.
I have been observing the floristic industry for several years and I have the impression that cloves do not get bored. Most of them meet the growing requirements of customers. First of all, they are very durable (up to 2 weeks), liked, and therefore popular (even this feature works to their advantage) and also universal because they are suitable for practically most bouquets and compositions for various occasions. As much as you can say “good old cloves”. Metaphorically, of course. 
Sometimes, however, there are people to whom the carnation has not spoken and perhaps will not. The power of prejudices and associations. “But it was already boring.” And yet it is a pity …
A carnation is a practical flower, worth enduring a lot… and there are many tastes by tastes.
It is worth noting that the fashion for plants (also potted) from the 90s has clearly come full circle and has been visible in both floristic and interior trends for a long time. The once popular ferns, asparagus, ivy and coils in a pot (preferably made of clay) are now experiencing a second youth.
Carnations are sometimes referred to as “cult” because they have gone down in history as the flagship flower of the working people in the times of the Polish People’s Republic. A single red carnation, necessarily with a white or red ribbon and asparagus, was almost a mandatory gift. It was a symbol of thanks to the ladies on the Women’s Day, very popular in workplaces. Carnations also played an important role as decorations on May Day parades. Back then, they were used to create bouquets or wreaths interspersed with asparagus.
The flowers that made history also include gerberas and freesias. Often presented on the occasion of a name day or birthday celebration. Generally speaking, I remember the 90s as a time of meetings, openness and sensitivity towards others. A time where presence mattered, not possession.
The carnation will forever remain a symbol of the times in which he lived his fame. It will be a carrier of memories, both better and worse. The world today is not slowing down, we decide how we look at it now. Are we able to give them up just because someone said that they are no longer fashionable? Only who? Is it worth it? I do not think so.
