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Graduation in Singapore: lavender roses, lilies and a chrysanthemum's colour
Graduation in Singapore comes with chrysanthemums among the bouquet options. In the Chinese tradition most Singaporeans follow, white and yellow mean mourning and red means celebration, so a graduate's chrysanthemum is chosen by colour first. A bouquet for the day is chosen on three counts: the colour, how long it holds up after the ceremony, and who is carrying it home.
Lavender roses and white lilies for a Singapore graduate
The selection leans towards soft colours: lavender spray roses and peony-shaped lavender roses, alongside white lilies. Against a dark gown, and in the photos taken straight after the ceremony, that pairing stays calm rather than loud.
Both flowers travel some distance to reach a Singapore graduate. Roses reach Singapore mainly from China and Taiwan, while lilies arrive mainly from the Netherlands, which supplies around a sixth of Singapore's cut flower imports.
A lily's pollen is worth watching before anyone gets close to a gown: it stains fabric and does not wash out easily. Florists remove the anthers once a lily has opened, and any pollen already on the fabric should be lifted with sticky tape rather than rubbed in.
Anyone who wants more volume than a few roses and lilies provide can go for roses alone.
A chrysanthemum earns its place in a graduation bouquet on stamina alone: it holds in a vase for two to three weeks, against roughly a week for a rose. So the bouquet outlasts the graduation week.
Most chrysanthemums sold in Singapore travel down from the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. The lower leaves on the stem tend to yellow before the flower fades; pull off yellowing leaves as they turn, since the flower lasts longer than they do.
Given the colour rule above, name the occasion to the florist: they put together a bouquet and send back a photo with the price before payment. If a particular shade is out of stock, the florist swaps in something close, and the change shows on the photo taken before the courier leaves.
One hand for the mortarboard: how big a graduation bouquet should be
How big a bouquet needs to be for graduation in Singapore depends on who is receiving it. A classmate or a favourite teacher is usually given something small enough to hold in one hand, alongside a mortarboard and a phone for photos, so a compact hand-tied bouquet does the job well.
For the graduate themself, something larger makes more sense: an armful of loose flowers, or a bouquet such as "51 Jumilia in Airy Wrapping". Jumilia opens into a bud up to seven centimetres across, white at the base and edged in pink, up to two weeks in a vase.
Anyone drawn to volume over a single named bouquet can get the same effect with an armful of peonies.
A box, a basket or a floral handbag for the table at home
Flowers waiting at home for the dinner after graduation do better in something that stands on its own rather than in a vase from the start: a hat box, a basket, or the "Floral Handbag \"Raphael\"" all work on that principle. Boxed arrangements and flower baskets hold their stems in soaked floral foam rather than water, so they stand without a vase.
That foam needs a thin stream of water over its whole surface every day, and the container should never be tilted, or the water simply runs out the side. Where the flowers sit matters too: keep them away from direct sun and the air-con vent.
Graduation flower delivery in Singapore can be booked for a chosen date and time in any zone. The florist photographs the finished bouquet before the courier sets off, so the sender sees exactly what is on its way; details are on the delivery page.
For anyone starting from scratch, roses suit a graduate who wants height and colour without lily pollen to worry about. An armful of peonies suits someone who prefers loose stems over a tied shape. Flowers in boxes suit a bouquet waiting at home for the family dinner.