In the Press

Mariam had been planning the birthday surprise for three weeks. She knew exactly what she wanted: a hundred red roses, delivered to her best friend's apartment in Jumeirah at exactly 6pm on a Friday evening. She found a florist online, placed the order, paid, and waited. What arrived was a small mixed bouquet, two hours late, with a stock-photo card attached that bore no resemblance to the arrangement shown on the website...

Dubai has quietly developed one of the most distinct flower gifting cultures on the planet. Not just in terms of spending though the numbers are remarkable but in terms of what people choose to say with flowers, and how they say it.

Walk through any residential lobby in Jumeirah or Marina on a Friday evening and you will see it. Delivery riders carrying 100-stem rose bouquets wrapped in black...