My mam & dad started their first flower shop in 1968, so I pretty much grew up in the shop in the 70s, largely because I would tease the bejasus out of one of my five sisters ha ha ha .
Flowers became a huge part of my life and indeed I believe the recession of the 70s & 80s made flowers a big part of many lives as there were few other treats one could afford. Plants and flowers
were very special in the garden and the home, but the flower frenzy didn’t stop there.
Flowers pattern wall paper and flowers pattern feature walls were all the rage too not to mention the burgundy bathroom suites. Chrysanthemums, poppies and calla lilies along with carnations and freesia were among the most popular cut flowers, some of the most popular plants were azalea, cyclamen and pot mums.
Flowers had a great impact in the fashion industry too, girls wore flowers in their hair, ear rings and necklaces in floral designs were very popular as were dresses and jackets with floral patterns, the more colour – the better was the trend of the day.
Flower Power was a very popular slogan in the 60s and 70s as well, it started as a symbol of passiveness and non-violence on college compasses rooted in opposition against the Vietnam war and was quickly spread over the globe by hippies, the slogan “Flower Power” is still quite popular today but used in a different context.
To my mind there is no question that hippies made flowers the norm, up until then it would have been a complete rarity to see a man purchase flowers and even more rare to see him carry them.
Nowadays, it’s totally the norm to see men buy flowers, chocolates and a bottle of fizz, and proudly board the train or bus for all to see …… yep, we’ve come a long long way since the 70s.
