Roses are out of bouquets as grasses, filler flowers and imperfect blooms move to top of bunch

Of late, no one has furthered the cause of flowers like The Bear actor Jeremy Allen White. Unlike his character Carmen Berzatto— an intense head chef who looks ready to snap—White’s off-screen weekly sightings have him carrying giant arrays of flowers, like a satyr getting his woodland home ready for spring. Soon after he hit payload with The Bear in 2022, he was often seen at a farmer’s market carrying what seemed like an obscene amount of flowers.

So much so that last year Jimmy Fallon had to ask him: “Do you work at a florist?” He finally addressed his bond with blooms— and the internet’s obsession with it. He said: “I saw a friend a couple weeks ago I hadn’t seen in a while, and we were catching up and she just goes, ‘Can I ask you something?’ She was like, ‘What’s up with the flowers?’ As if there was something sinister going on, that I was doing something strange with the flowers.” Turns out, he just likes flowers—a lot. Loves gifting them, putting them in his house and arranging them with his daughters on Sunday. “I just like them.”

White may have become a poster child for posies but he buys flowers as an act of selfcare — and not just for an occasion. This is the big shift in how people approach florals after the pandemic, says Pratiksha Kataria, Bengaluru-based floral designer and founder of Daily Bloom. “The role of flowers remains the same— to make you smile, feel good and bring joy. But now people are using flowers in so many ways besides gifting and for events. Now it’s more about self-care,” she says. “People want flowers that reflect their personality.”


That is a reason why roses, peonies and lilies are being shoved out of a bouquet for more “intentional choices” that may not have found space in an arrangement earlier. Think wildflowers or filler flowers, grasses, leaves, seed pods, thistles, foraged greens and imperfect blooms. In a July 2025 Better Homes & Gardens article, Justin Lievano, floral design manager at UrbanStems, an online flower-delivery company in US, said “wildflowers feel rebellious and fun compared to more traditionally staid arrangements”, adding, “More wild designs make people feel like they’re breaking away from these signifiers of traditional beauty.” Avi Kumar, chief marketing officer of FNP, says he has noticed their young clients are buying flowers as an act of “self-love”. He says this is one of the reasons structured bouquets are getting trumped by casual hand-tied arrangements. “What matters most today is that consumers are not looking for anything that looks mass-produced. They seek authenticity, personal expression and a unique identity from flowers too.”

BLOOM OF ONE’S OWN
Bengaluru-based florist Nidhi Gupta, founder of floral subscription service Shades of Spring, says people seek flowers and arrangements that look like they were plucked after a walk in a garden. Gupta, who started her business in 2019 and operates in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad, saw an increase in demand during the pandemic. Her flower subscriptions start at Rs 399 per delivery and have add-ons like chocolates, candies and stationery.

“The focus on occasion has shifted. Earlier people were hesitant to keep flowers regularly at home; they were not a must-have. But now urban lifestyle is such that people seek such pockets of peace as weekend rituals or slow life activities.” Both Kataria and Gupta have received requests for “unusual” flowers. Kumar says floral aesthetics are undergoing a shift.

“People have moved from tightly structured to asymmetrical designs. They want freeform, natural and more expressive bouquets,” he says. Besides flowers, people also want to experiment with format—like flowers in a box, bag, interesting vases.

Delhi-based fashion stylist Rin Jajo recently started creating floral arrangements for friends and for the Gram. He says social media has given a lot of visibility to his hobby. “As people start to do more of these arrangements themselves they realise there needn’t be any rules regarding what and how to put them together,” he says. Jajo uses local flowers from his hometown Ukhrul in Manipur when he’s there and even vegetables like chayote. “I like to stay away from conventional flowers and prefer wild or small flowers that are often used as fillers, although it really depends on what’s available and what’s in season.”

Wildflowers are not easy to come by in cities. In Delhi, his advice is to go to the market early in the morning and catch hold of vendors who get these flowers. “In Ukhrul, I take cuttings from our garden or forage them during outings and picnics and quite often they come together nicely.” He says berries, branches of fruits and unusual leaves add a touch of whimsy. He is most excited about his latest acquisition, a porous Longpi pottery vase, in which he places pine twigs and wild palm leaves.

Kataria says dried flowers are having a moment. They are also mixed with fresh flowers. Button chrysanthemums called santini, dainty limoniums, baby’s breath, purple coneflowers, star-shaped hoyas and amaranths are all part of bouquets. Stylists say a boho bunch of wildflowers encourages a more relaxed approach to floristry, allowing for creativity.

However, sourcing them is not easy. Says Kataria: “These cost Rs 200-300 more for a bunch than regular flowers.” Gupta adds, “While the growing cost of these flowers isn’t much, not many people grow them.” Gupta, who operates online, says wildflowers will become common as floristry becomes more personality-driven.

Wildflower decor also increases our appreciation for the variety and beauty of the natural world. As Katie Smyth, cofounder of Worm London, a floral studio that champions the “wonky” appeal of wildflowers, told House & Garden in an article: “We have always been drawn to wild flowers.… We were never that interested in the flowers that were considered ‘the most beautiful’ or ‘perfect’. We liked the ones with wonky stems—they have more personality. We were also drawn to the idea that floristry can be accessible for all.” In the end, we all just want to be like White: carry home a giant bunch of random posies that bring uninhibited joy much like the flowers that make it.