Which Flowers Are the Most Expensive?

While most flowers are affordable, some flowers stand out as the most expensive flowers available to purchase. Flowers can be expensive because they are rare or highly coveted, driving costs up. Some flowers are only available for a short time each year, and are thus more expensive than others. When planning an event with flowers, such as a wedding reception, avoid the expensive flowers if you are on a tight budget.

The Knot, a wedding planning website, lists the top ten most expensive wedding flowers. Casablanca lily is the most expensive wedding flower, according to that site. Gardenias and hydrangeas are the second and third most expensive. The other most expensive wedding flowers are lily of the valley, lisianthus, orchids, peonies, roses, stephanotis and tulips. If you want to include any of these flowers in your wedding but have a limited budget, consider getting just one of the flowers, and use other less expensive flowers to fill the rest of the bouquet.

Orchids are typically expensive flowers. One orchid created by a Chinese student agricultural group sold for $202,000 in 2005, which is the most expensive flower ever sold as of November 2010. The orchid took eight years to produce. Other orchids are less expensive, but are still regarded as some of the most expensive flowers available to purchase. Rothschild’s Slipper, or P. rothschildianum, is another expensive and rare orchid. It takes up to 15 years to flower, and a single stem sells for around $5,000. This orchid is on display at Kinabalu National Park in Malaysia.

A variety of other flowers are also considered some of the most expensive. Gloriosa flowers are expensive because they are hard to grow. They cost around $6 to $10 per bloom. Lisianthus are expensive because it is quite fragile and dies easily. They cost between $10 and $35 a bunch. Roses are also expensive, especially in February because of Valentine's Day. They cost up to $6 per stem, but are less expensive in areas like California where they grow more abundantly. Tulips are also expensive because they are chic and stylish. They cost between $5 and $45 for a bunch of ten.