Hi there! As part of the commitment we have at Isan Flowers for customer service, we have compiled this advice for you. We hope you find it useful, and it helps you choose the Isan Flowers product that is right for you (and your recipients).
If not, or you have some comments, we would very much like to hear from you - please see our Disagree? Comments? Would Like to Add To or Ask Questions About This Advice? section at the bottom of this page ... 

Choosing Lucky & Avoiding Unlucky Colours & Numbers - IMPORTANT!
Benefits of Buying From Isan Flowers, Compared to Sending Gifts from your Country
Sending Flowers Does & Says So Much
Flowers & Plants are Good for You – it’s a Fact!
What Types of Flower Arrangements Can Isan Flowers Supply?
How Long will Flowers Last?
How Much Do Thai People like Receiving Flowers?
What Other Types of Gift do Thai People Also Like?
Thai or Chinese? Does Size and Cost Matter?
Should I Get the Flowers & Gifts delivered to my Recipient Where They Work?
Flower Types – Prices & Meanings
Flowers We Do Not Have on This Website & Why
Disagree? Comments? Would Like to Add To or Ask Questions About This Advice?

NOTE: For advice on taking care of real cut flower bouquets, basket and vase arrangements, please see our Flower Care page
For advice for the (living) plants that we sell, like Orchids, please see our Plant Care page.

Please be aware and remember, when deciding what colour to buy Flowers, any other gifts (Balloons, Cakes, Greetings Cards), wrapping material/paper, ribbons & bows …

In every national culture, some colours and numbers are generally thought to be lucky, and others unlucky. There can be many reasons for this - religious, historical, superstitious, linguistic, etc. Thai people are superstitious (some more than others!) and believe in luck. When buying a gift for a Thai, Thai-Chinese or Chinese person, it is good to first know what colours and numbers to best look for - and avoid!   

General Rules - The number 9 is the luckiest number for Thai people. A Thai person will love receiving a set of 9 items, or things with the number 9 on them.
However, do not give a Thai person a set of 6 items, or things with the number 6 on them. The number 6 is an unlucky number.

Personal Rules - Thai Buddhists believe the day of the week they were born influences their personality and life. Each day has a Colour, Lucky Colour and Unlucky Colour. Many Thais believe that if they wear clothes in the colour associated with the day they were born it will bring them good luck. This partly explains why many people wear yellow on Mondays. It is because Monday was the day HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej (the present King of Thailand) was born (see table below). If you see a Thai person dressing in a red colour on Sunday, they may well be wearing that deliberately because they were born on a Sunday - by commenting to the person on their dress sense, you are showing an understanding of Thai culture.

If your relatives or friends are Thai Buddhists, try to find out the day of the week they were born (get their birthday & age, then look back to the year they were born. That will tell you the lucky and unlucky colours for them, and they will be impressed you took the care and effort to find out!

Below are two tables we have created to give you a summary of this information. We have included Chinese because it is estimated that about 10% of Thai people have Chinese descent....

General -

 ** NOTE: Using the Thai lucky number 9 can be done in a variety of ways when ordering a flower product. Here are some examples:

• 9 Red/Pink/White Roses
• 99 Red/Pink/White Roses
• 9 Red Roses + 9 White Roses
• 9 Pink Roses + 9 White Roses

 
Personal -

* Colours Conclusion .....  

Best Choice/Least Risky Colours -
- Red (also associated with Love and Romance by most people). Red is the colour of love in Thailand. We recommend that customers give a red flower bouquet, basket or vase arrangement to Thai ladies to say “I Love You”.
'Check First' Colours -
- Pink is a popular colour for giving flowers in Thailand. We recommend that customers give a pink flower bouquet, basket or vase arrangement to Thai ladies to say “I like you” or “I want you to be my girlfriend”.
- White (unlucky colour for people born on Tuesdays in Thailand but can be considered lucky by people born on a Wednesday night!). White is a popular colour for giving flowers in Thailand. It is not really associated with death or funerals by Thai people (but it is by Thai-Chinese and Chinese people). It is associated with purity. We recommend that customers give a white flower bouquet, basket or vase arrangement to Thai ladies to say “I am your friend” or “I want you to be my friend”.
Most Risky ('Check First') Colours - 
- Yellow. We strongly advise that customers only give a yellow flower bouquet, basket or vase arrangement to Thai people when they are ill and/or in hospital. This is because Thai people believe many yellow flowers are only for people who are ill. If a Thai person receives many yellow flowers she may feel embarrassed. If she is with other Thai people when she receives them, the other Thai people may think .. “That person must be ill". (But ... a few yellow flowers in a bouquet, basket or vase arrangement with other colours is no problem – they can be very beautiful).
- Purple: Be careful if you are thinking about giving flower arrangements containing only (or many) purple flowers to Thai ladies, purple bouquet wrapping and other purple gifts. Some Thai ladies do not like purple. Although some ladies like purple (particularly if they were born on a Saturday because purple is a birthday colour in Thailand for Saturdays), many Thai people think purple is only for ladies who have no husband or partner. If a Thai lady receives many purple flowers she may feel embarrassed. If possible, ask a Thai lady if she likes to receive purple flowers/gifts before you buy. NOTE: A few purple flowers in a multicolour flowers arrangement containing also other colours is OK (nice, no problem).
- Black (a colour commonly associated with death)

NOTE: Isan Flowers does not have Orange, Yellow or Purple in our ‘By Colour’ flowers category because Thai ladies generally don’t like Orange, Yellow or Purple Bouquets, Basket or Vase Arrangements, for the reason above. However, we will be happy of course to specially create an flower arrangement for you (your choice of flower types, price, etc) if you or your recipient would like flowers in these colours (to give a non-Thai person, for example) – please use our Custom Order page to tell us what you would like.

Sources: Chinese - Various, Thai - International Buddhism Centre, Chiang Mai

Benefits of Buying From Isan Flowers, Compared to Sending Gifts from your Country?

There are many reasons why it is a good idea to buy to buy from Isan Flowers, compared to sending gifts from your country on the Web, such as …
- Lower Prices (Flowers and Gifts are probably cheaper in Thailand than in your country)
- Cheaper to Send (Our free & low-cost delivery service is cheaper than the cost of sending your gifts to Thailand via post or courier)
- Safer Delivery (our reliable and careful delivery service will ensure your flowers and gifts arrive in perfect condition. Items can get damaged or fail to arrive if sending by post or courier. We will also send you a photo of the recipient successfully receiving your order, if they give permission, so you know it has arrived and what it looked like)
- Faster Delivery (although we ask you to place internet orders 2 days or more before your required delivery date, this is faster than sending to Thailand by post. If you need flowers and gifts faster than that - you can telephone us or visit our shop)
- Cheaper, Easier & Faster Shopping (you can see all our products quickly and easily on the website. You don’t have the effort and cost of going out of your home to the shops, trying to find a florist, discovering what products they can offer and taking them home)

Sending Flowers Does & Says So Much
Obviously, people like seeing the beauty of the flowers, they bring a colourful bit of nature to where you live or work and can fill a room with a wonderful smell. However, sending flowers is also one of the very best ways to do so many things, like ….

- show your wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend, other relatives and friends that you remember them, are
   thinking of them and care about them
- make someone feel good, happier, more loved and more appreciated
- congratulate someone on a special day
- impress someone

Flowers can tell the recipient one or more of the things below …
- ‘I love you’
- ‘I fancy you’
- ‘I am thinking of you’
- ‘I care about you’
- ‘You are the girl for me’
- ‘I am romantic’
- ‘You deserve something beautiful’
- ‘Thank You’, Congratulations’, ‘I’m Sorry’ or one of many other messages (see more occasion ideas listed
on the left-hand side of our website)

Receiving flowers is often a better than just verbally saying the things above, because the recipient knows you have made the effort to find, choose and send them something. The flowers also constantly remind the recipient of you, for as long as they last.

Flowers & Plants are Good for You – it’s a Fact!
As well as being beautiful, flowers and plants are good for your health!

Scent is a very popular part of flowers and plants–  the first thing most people do when buying or receiving a bouquet is smell the flowers. Many people say it influences what type of flowers they buy. Floral scents are one of the most popular smells - the perfume industry spends a lot of time and money trying to reproduce the scent of fresh flowers. Scientists have proved that scents have an effect on our emotions. The scent of orange blossom or lavender can help you relax, while citrus smells are great energizers. In general, white and pale flowers are particularly strongly scented (oriental lilies, for example). A cool room is better for making cut flowers live longer, but room if a room is too cool it may stop scented flowers giving off their full scent. To fully enjoy the scent of a flower or plant, place them in calm areas, sheltered from wind, breeze and draughts.

The latest German research presented at the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology Annual Meeting showed that women smelling the scent of flowers while sleeping experienced more pleasant emotions in their dreams than women who did not. For centuries, the Chinese have used house plants to create "living energy" in their homes and workplaces. Scientific studies prove that house plants are good for you - physically, emotionally and psychologically. Depending on the type of plant, when living plants are present indoors, they are proven to:

- Remove harmful chemicals from the air, such as those in paints and varnishes, some types of furniture
- Absorb noise and lessen dust in the home
- Reduce tiredness, coughs and sore throats
- Help hospital patients recover faster, and with less medicine
- Lower blood pressure, stress and anxiety, help concentration and improve memory
- Promote feelings of relaxation, calm and well-being
- Make rooms look more cared for, clean, welcoming & expensive-looking
- Given a choice, people sit where they can see plants
(Oxford Brooks University Study 1995 - Jane Stiles)

Many people spend a lot of time indoors at home or work, or in traffic away from green spaces. Air conditioning reduces air exchange, which can lead to health problems. We often either breathing the same air over and over or, in towns and cities, polluted air. The simple addition of a few house plants in your home or office can greatly boost your health and well-being. Indoor plants boost oxygen levels, improve air quality, reduce air temperatures and make people feel happier. In one study in Norway, for example, two groups of office staff working in offices 10m2, were compared on their emotions and health. The results showed that when staff had plants in their offices, there was a fall of around 25% in tiredness, coughing, sore throats and cold related illnesses. 8 out of 10 staff said they felt better when there were plants in the office and would like to have more plants in the office in future. (Dr Tove Fjeld of University of Agriculture, Norway, 1994-1996 for the Flower Council of Holland)

What Types of Fresh Flower Arrangements Can Isan Flowers Supply?
We can supply all 5 main types of (non-wedding) fresh flower arrangement:

1    Tall Bouquet (or Triangle Bouquet)
       - Has tall, longer-stemmed flowers in the centre at the back and shorter flowers down the sides and at the front. It is a triangle shape when viewed from the front. The height of the arrangement is more than the width. These include lots of colourful wrapping and ribbon, and are great for placing in your own vase after you receive them
2    Vertical Bouquet
       - Very tall and relatively thin (not wide) bunch of flowers with long stems. Very good to show off the very tall stems of flowers like Roses, Carnations and Gerberas. Shorter greenery is sometimes used to make the arrangement look balanced. These include lots of colourful wrapping and ribbon, and are great for placing in your own vase after you receive them
3    Round Bouquet
       - Densely-packed bunch of flowers (sometimes with greenery) with short stems. It is a round shape when viewed from above. Simple and elegant, the bouquet looks best with compact blooms like Roses, Carnations and Chrysanthemums. Similar to a wedding posy. These include lots of colourful wrapping and ribbon, and are great for placing in your own vase after you receive them
3    Basket Arrangement
       - The flowers are fixed in place by an oasis (florist foam) inside a basket. Very popular with Thai people when they want to give flowers to a friend. Easy to enjoy because they do not need to be moved into a vase.
4    Vase Arrangement
      - The flowers are fixed in place by an oasis (florist foam) inside a vase and are easy to enjoy because they do not        need to be moved into your own vase

For Weddings and Events, we can supply all other types of fresh flower arrangements, such as .....
- For Tables ... Horizontal, Crescent, Lazy "S" ("Hogarth's Curve")
- For Weddings ... Posy Bouquet, Nosegay Bouquet, Over Arm (presentation) Bouquet, Shower (Cascading) Bouquet, Fan Bouquet, Dome Bouquet, Pomander Bouquet, Podiums, Wedding Flower Arch
- For Events ... Over Arm (presentation) Bouquet, Podiums, Backdrop, Table Bouquets (see above)

NOTE: We sell a good range of small and medium size vases and pots in our shop in Pattaya. For more information on how to care for your Isan Flowers fresh flower arrangements, see our Flower Care page.
Going to a Wedding or Funeral ? We do other types of fresh flower arrangements for special occasions like these.

Do not want special gift packaging, ribbons and bows? If you wish to buy flowers for yourself, or your room/home, you probably will not want these that we include with our Bouquets, Baskets and Vase arrangements. You can buy our flowers plain (with no gift packaging) if you visit our flower shop in Pattaya or make a request via our Custom Orders page


How Long will Flowers Last?
People often hesitate to buy fresh, cut flowers because they think they will not last more than 2 or 3 days. It is true that some flowers will only live 1 or 2 days or less in a normal building in Thailand but Isan Flowers does not sell those types of flowers, except when specially requested. All the types of cut flowers we sell will normally live at least 3 days or more, if cared for correctly (see also our Flower Care page for a complete guide on how to care for your flowers and make them live as long as possible.

There is nothing better for impressive, natural beauty and lovely scent than the traditional gift of fresh, cut flowers. However, if you want something that will last longer, you can also buy alternative flower products that can last for months, even years …

- Real Plants are great for medium (months) to long-term life (years). The length of their life depends on the type of plant and how well it is cared for. Although a single plant cannot match the variety of a real/fresh flower arrangement containing different types of flower, many plants can be colourful, beautiful, fragrant and some produce flowers more than once a year, such as Orchids. We carefully choose only the most colourful plants for our shop. We sell outdoor plant types. Outdoor plant types can be ground-type or hanging-type. These need care, such as watering, to ensure they last as long as possible, but are very easy to look after – see our Plant Care page.

- Plastic Flowers & Plants are very popular in Thailand. Isan Flowers only uses the best quality, most real-looking plastic flowers, made of very thin, fabric-like plastic. We make all the arrangements ourselves. They are a great and easy way to  permanently enjoy flowers, decorate and add colour to a room or home because they …
- look as beautiful and colourful as real/fresh flowers, from a short or long distance
- last a very long time (years!!)
- need no care (no watering or feeding!)
- can be placed anywhere, in any conditions (hot/cool, sun/shade, indoors/outdoors), although direct sunlight will fade their colour over time (direct sunlight will kill many real flowers)

- Dried Flower Glassware is a beautiful, long-lasting way to enjoy flowers is to choose one of our dried flower glassware products, made by FI’ORA of Bangkok.  These high quality gifts make an excellent addition to any table or shelf, for example


How Much Do Thai People like Receiving Flowers?
Like most countries in the world, Thai people (especially ladies) normally love receiving flowers. Normally, the bigger and more expensive the flowers and gifts the better, but there are some circumstances when it may be better to buy a smaller, not so expensive ones (see the Thai or Chinese? Does Size and Cost Matter? section below).

Do girls working/dancing in Beer Bars & Go-Go Bars like receiving flowers too? Girls who have not worked there long normally do. However, for girls who have worked there for months or years, opinion varies amongst Western expats. These girls can take a rather cynical view of flowers as gifts, preferring other (more valuable) types of gift instead. However, with Isan Flowers’ honest and inexpensive flower prices you can almost certainly afford to give flowers and also another gift at the same time! 

What Other Types of Gift do Thai People Also Like?
It’s often a great idea to give flowers and one or more other items as your gift (see the Thai or Chinese? Does Size and Cost Matter? section below). Although everyone is different (it’s a good idea to check your recipient’s preferences first, if possible), here is our advice on what you could add to your flowers, with links to the pages of our website where applicable ….
NOTE: The best bar girls and go-go dancers usually have lots of money, compared to the average Thai person, so often like expensive, well-known designer products (genuine, not copies) to impress their friends and feel good about themselves, rather than just money. Ladies on lower incomes usually appreciate a combination of a less expensive gift (to show you are thoughtful and made some effort) and some money

Flowers plus …

- Imported Chocolate
    - most Thai people really love chocolate
    - large bars or boxes, especially in the shape of hearts and/or with hearts on the packaging
    - For example: US, UK, Belgian or Swiss brands
- Birthday Cake
    - everyone should be given a cake on their birthday!
- Cute, Soft/Plush Cuddly Toys
    - can be animals (bears are the most popular) or cartoon characters (For example: Winnie The Pooh,
      Hello Kitty)
    - often, smaller is better than very big
- Money
    - this is a good idea if she does not have a good salary (see our Useful Links page for ideas on how to
      send)
    - Money is not romantic, does not show imagination or effort but is the ultimate flexible gift – she can use
      it for whatever she wants or needs (for example: shopping trip, phone card, send to family)
- Thai Gold
    - very popular type of gift. Shows more thought and effort than money. Thai people like to wear it to
      show wealth
    - Thai gold has a different appearance to the gold normally sold in many other countries
    - also flexible, because it can be pawned or sold for money, if necessary
- Beauty Treatment at a Beauty Salon
    - For example: make-up, manicure, pedicure, nail-painting, hairdressing
- Well-Known Designer/Luxury Beauty Products
    - For example: make-up, skin cream (day cream, night cream, anti-ageing cream), moisturiser,
      foundation, perfume (but see note below)
   - NOTE: If thinking of giving perfume to your girlfriend or wife, check first – some Thai girls believe that
     giving perfume will mean bad luck for the relationship, or that you are telling them they smell!
- Well-Known Designer Clothing
    - For example: Levi 501 jeans
- Well-Known Designer Accessories
    - For example: handbags, shoulder bags, shoes
- Pizza
    - most Thai people love Pizza. You can arrange a takeaway or give money to pay for one
- Products with Hearts on
    - For example, packets of sweets/candy
- Anything Cute, especially if related to your country
- Whatever product is ‘in’, ‘hot’, ‘trendy’ in Thailand at the moment
    - For example, things worn or used by TV, Movie and/or Pop Music Stars
- Other
    - Clothing showing the name of your home city, region or country
    - Other items from your home city, region or country


Thai or Chinese? Does Size and Cost Matter?
Often, the bigger and higher the (perceived) cost the gift you give, the happier the Thai recipient will be (see also the Should I Get the Flowers & Gifts delivered to my Recipient Where They Work? section below). To help you choose your gifts, we tell you, in our product names and/or descriptions how big each product / flower arrangement is – S (Small), M (Medium), L (Large) & XL (Extra Large). We also give you their approximate average height, width and weight, where we can. We also have a Luxury/The Best Range product category in the menu on the left-hand side of our website, to help you choose our most impressive flowers. For example, imported Chinese-grown Roses are Premium, Luxury Roses. They are bigger and longer-lasting than Thai-grown roses. Thai ladies are most impressed with these as they all know and can see the difference (see photo). Similarly, imported Chinese-grown lilies are bigger and longer-lasting than Thai-grown ones.
However, there are exceptions to remember, such as …
- expensive things can sometimes be small (gold, for example) and have the same (or better) effect than bigger gifts (large cuddly toys,for example)
- expensive gifts can sometimes be considered as wasteful and/or unnecessary expense by people who do not have much money and would prefer to receive a cheaper version of the same gift, or a different gift, and the rest of the amount you were going to spend in money
- very inexpensive gifts can sometimes have the same (or even better) effect than very expensive ones for the same amount of time, or even longer. For example, a cuddly toy or keyring that the recipient and all her friends thinks is really cute. For successful bar girls & go-go dancers in particular (because they have large incomes), some expensive gifts can lose their impact and novelty quite quickly, as they go ‘out of fashion’ and newer, ‘cooler’ products come into the shops.

Should I Get the Flowers & Gifts delivered to my Recipient Where They Work?
This can be a great idea, but only if you buy the right type of gift. The important concept here is ‘face’. Keeping and not losing ‘face’ is extremely important to Thai people (and in some other Asian countries). ‘Face’ can be described as your ‘status and level of respect among other people’. The size, how cute or cool the gift is and/or (perceived) cost of the gift you give will tell the people who see your recipient receiving the gift a lot (rightly or wrongly) about the recipient and also about you. The gift will cause your recipient to either (a) gain face and self-esteem (a good thing) or (b) lose face and self-esteem (a very bad thing).

Big, impressive, very cute, very cool and/or high (perceived) cost gifts ….
- it is usually safe and a good idea to deliver to a recipient who is not short of money, when they will be with their friends. Such a gift will indicate to people that you care (and perhaps also love) very much indeed about the recipient and that you are a generous person.
- it is a risky idea to deliver to a recipient who is short of money, when they will be with their friends. Such a gift may make people think you should have given money and a smaller or less expensive instead, because she needs the money.

Smaller, non-cute, non-cool, more personal and/or low (perceived) cost gifts ….
- it is generally better to deliver to a recipient when they will be alone, such as at home. If given to a recipient when they will be with their friends, such a gift may make people think you don’t care very much about the recipient and/or that you are a mean (kee-neaow) person.

Flower Types – Prices & Meanings
The main factor in the price of any fresh flower arrangement we sell is (1) the number and (2) the type of flowers in it. Although the cost of different flower types depends on the time of year and their availability (for example, Roses cost much more during late January to mid-February because of St Valentine’s Day and most flowers cost more in early/mid-November because of Loy Krathong) the relative prices in Pattaya are generally as follows (in order of cost) …
-    Chinese Roses (most expensive) (usually sold in Red, Pink & White)
-    Chinese Lilies (usually sold in White, Pink and Yellow)
-    Thai Carnations (usually sold in Red, White and Pink)
-    Thai Chrysanthemum Blooms* (usually sold in White and Yellow)
-    Thai & Chinese Gerberas (usually sold in various colours)
-    Thai Roses (usually sold in Red, Pink and White)
-    Thai Orchids (usually sold in Purple, White and Yellow)
-    Standard Thai Chrysanthemums (least expensive) (usually sold in White and Yellow)

* Blooms are normal chrysanthemums which were given special growing care. Instead of allowing the plant produce side flowers, all extra shoots were removed, leaving only one central stem and one flower. All the energy of the plant was directed into this flower which then grew to a huge size.

Isan Flowers sells only the flowers colours and types that are the most popular with Thai people. If you search the internet you can find many websites explaining the meaning of different flower colours and types - but how many people receiving flowers really know all these meanings? – comparatively few! And people from different countries can attach different meanings to the same flower type.

The flower colours below have the following generally well-known meanings in Thailand … (NOTE: For lucky & unlucky colours, see top of page)

Red – Love, Romance
Pink – Love, Romance
Orange – Ordinary, Boring

NOTE: Isan Flowers does not have Orange in our ‘By Colour’ flowers category because Thai ladies generally don’t like orange flowers, for the reason above. However, we will be happy of course to specially create an orange flower arrangement for you (your choice of flower types, price, etc) if you or your recipient would like orange flowers – please use our Custom Order page to tell us what you would like.

Roses – Love, Romance. Not surprisingly, these are the type of flower most girls and ladies want to receive from their husbands and boyfriends! Especially red, Chinese (Premium, Luxury) Roses.

Flowers We Do Not Have on This Website & Why
Visitors to our website may surprised when they cannot find certain flower types that they are used to seeing in flower shops in their own country. This is because some flower types common in other areas of the world are not very suitable for Thailand – they are either (a) very expensive (b) difficult to find and/or (b) going to die very quickly (after 1 day, for example) in the Thai climate (for example, flowers that need sunlight but cannot live in the Thai heat).

Because we want our customers to get the best possible value for their money, we do not sell these types of flowers, unless as a special request (Please use our Custom Orders page to if you would like to make a special request). 

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We hope you have found our advice useful, and it helps you choose the Isan Flowers product that is right for you (and your recipients) ...

Disagree? Comments? Would Like to Add To or Ask Questions About This Advice?
If you think out advice is inaccurate for some reason, would like to suggest how we can improve it or have questions about it we would like to hear from you. We want to give our customers the most helpful advice we can. Please Contact Us .