It’s May, and there’s no shortage of occasions for which flowers are appropriate. This and that mother could use some, the graduating nieces, not to mention the wedding party cast. I used to work for a florist in high school, and when they finally flung some FTD orders my way, I was schooled. There’d be the frustrated long-distance boyfriend who wanted something “simple and stunning” for his allergic-to-everything girl, the embarrassing dictation of greeting cards, and, finally, there was the man who wanted to convey “submission” and could I look on the FTD chart and find out which flower that might be? Well, it turned out to be straight-up grass, so we crimped and spritzed some into a submissive little spray. Here’s a more expansive list I found, and it definitely has some winning suggestions for a more tailored floral message. I cringe to think of the occasion, but how fun would it be to arrange some eglantine (“Genius; I wound to heal; Poetry; Talent”) with mustard (“I’m smart; I am hurt”) and spiderflower (“Elope with me; Not so bad as I seem”)? Would be curious to hear your own combinations…