---
title: "Flowers for a business opening: lucky flowers, colours and what to avoid | Floreboard"
url: https://floreboard.com/en/guides/business-opening-flowers/
language: en
last_reviewed: 2026-10-06
publisher: Floreboard (芳华绘)
---

# Flowers for a business opening

What to send for a shop or business opening: auspicious flowers and colours in Chinese practice, long-lasting stems for opening stands, and the taboos to avoid.

## Key facts

- In China: red and gold, with gladiolus, anthurium, sunflower and wheat ears for their lucky meanings.
- Build opening stands from flowers that last a week or more.
- No white or yellow chrysanthemums, no all-white designs, no quantity of four.

## Auspicious choices

| Flower | Why it is chosen | Vase life | In season |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Gladiolus](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/gladiolus/) | "Rising step by step" in Chinese | 7–10 days | Summer, Autumn |
| [Anthurium](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/anthurium/) | "Grand plans realised" in Chinese | 14–21 days | Year-round |
| [Sunflower](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/sunflower/) | Turning to the sun — thriving business | 6–10 days | Summer |
| [Bird of paradise](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/strelitzia/) | Bold, upright and long-lasting | 10–14 days | Year-round |
| [Wheat ears](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/wheat/) | A homophone wish for "big sales" in Chinese | 14–30 days | Summer |
| [Snapdragon](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/snapdragon/) | "Gold to spare" in southern China | 7–10 days | Spring |
| [Orchids (cut)](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/orchid/) | Refined; potted phalaenopsis is the premium opening gift | 10–21 days | Year-round |

## Long-lasting flowers available all year

Seven days or more in a vase, focal or line flowers, excluding chrysanthemums:

[Lily](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/lily/) · [Carnation](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/carnation/) · [Lisianthus](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/lisianthus/) · [Bird of paradise](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/strelitzia/) · [Orchids (cut)](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/orchid/) · [Calla lily](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/calla/) · [Anthurium](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/anthurium/) · [Dendrobium orchid](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/dendrobium/) · [Heliconia](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/heliconia/) · [Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum)](https://floreboard.com/en/flowers/ornithogalum/)

## Avoid

- White and yellow chrysanthemums and all-white designs — funeral associations in China, Japan and Korea.

- Quantities of four for Chinese, Japanese and Korean clients.

- Strongly scented flowers for restaurants, cafés and small shops.

- Short-lived flowers in anything that will stand for days.

[Flowers by occasion](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/flowers-by-occasion/) · [Longest-lasting cut flowers](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/long-lasting-flowers/) · [Flower colour meanings across cultures](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/flower-color-meanings/) · [How many flowers to give: meanings and taboos by culture](https://floreboard.com/en/guides/flower-numbers/)

## FAQ

### What flowers are sent for a business opening?

In Chinese practice, tall basket arrangements in red, pink and gold built from long-lasting, auspicious flowers: gladiolus, anthurium, sunflower, bird of paradise, wheat ears. Elsewhere, a bright long-lasting arrangement or a potted orchid is the usual gift.

### What colours are lucky for an opening in China?

Red first, supported by pink, gold, yellow and orange. Avoid all-white designs.

### What should be avoided in opening flowers?

White and yellow chrysanthemums, all-white arrangements, and quantities of four for Chinese, Japanese and Korean clients. For restaurants and cafés, avoid strongly scented flowers.

### How long should opening flowers last?

Stands often sit at the entrance for several days, sometimes outdoors, so build the recipe from flowers that last a week or more.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-06. Reference values from common trade practice. Real results vary with variety, origin and conditioning. [About our data](https://floreboard.com/en/about/)