Medal Worthy Flowers

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Medal Worthy Flowers
01 March 2010

At the Olympic events, the winning athletes are presented with a bouquet of flowers. Intended to represent the country that hosts the Games, they must also fit into the overall theme of the Games.

In Beijing, the bouquets consisted of red roses, Turin featured camellias and rhododendrons and in Salt Lake, the bouquets were a simple mass of yellow roses. At Vancouver, the bouquets were vibrant chartreuse green, with hypericum berries and spider mums as the focus.

As with the rest of the games, the flowers are subject to regulations with concern for style as well as safety. The bouquets must be 20-30 cm tall and 25 cm across, as well as low-pollen. Bouquets with cedar edging were rejected as the oil in the wood can cause allergic reactions, and bouquets containing pussy willow branches, also abundant in British Columbia, were considered health hazards if athletes threw them into the crowd. Vancouver’s green bouquets were chosen from among 23 samples provided by the shop to the organizing committee. The final bouquet was chosen for its low-pollen, durability, and the fact that the flowers are ordinarily available locally (in February the products had to be imported).

Perhaps more interesting than the bouquets is the story behind their creation. Surrey’s Margitta’s Flowers and Just Beginnings Flowers were chosen from among 58 florists who bid to supply flowers to the Games. The owner of Just Beginnings Flowers is well known in the area for teaching the art of floristry to women who have been in jail, addicted to drugs, or victims of violence. She has even taught courses to incarcerated women. Through the years, her non-profit shop has trained many marginalized women and provided them with valuable work experience.

All in all, the florists made 1,800 bouquets for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We sympathize with what must have been some seriously chapped hands! Not only did the beautiful bouquets showcase some of BC’s beautiful blossoms, they also highlighted the great work that Just Beginnings is doing for women across the province.