About Valentine Flowers

Giving flowers on Valentine's Day dates back to the 18th century. Flowers were given special meanings so people could build a nonverbal message into their bouquet. In this language a daisy represented innocence, a sunflower devotion, and a marigold represented jealousy. The red rose, of course, says "I love you." People continue to deliver flowers to this day as a representation of their love and devotion even if the language of flowers has been largely forgotten. In the language of flowers, a dozen flowers represents a complete cycle, like the 12 hours on a clock or the 12 months of a year. A dozen roses professes the year long love of the giver, something that holds true to this day.

Red roses are the favorite flower to send for Valentine's Day, as it is believed to represent true love. Other popular Valentine flowers are carnations, tulips and irises. Valentine roses are generally given as a single long stemmed flower or as a bouquet of a dozen, with long stemmed roses costing the most. Red, white and pink carnations are good Valentine Flowers, especially as they are less expensive than traditional roses. A large bouquet of carnations will cost you a fraction of the price of roses. Tulips can be sent as a cut flower, or as a potted bulb. the bulbs can be later planted in your Valentine's garden. Also consider the iris, it has big showy blooms and makes for a stunning flower arrangement. Purchase irises as buds for the longest lasting bouquet.

Valentine flowers have a limited shelf life, so get the freshest flowers possible and deliver them quickly. Online florists, like 1-800-Flowers and Proflowers, claim to overnight ship their flowers straight from their growers to you. To avoid standing in line on Valentine's Day, purchase your flowers the day before and keep them refrigerated. Or order them online and have the flowers shipped directly to your sweetheart.

Experts at the Sierra Club say that professionally grown flowers can be covered with harmful pesticides and chemicals meant to preserve the flower's beauty. If you are concerned about sending "green" flowers to your Valentine, look for VeriFlora (certified sustainably grown) and USDA-certified organic flowers.

Take care to make a Valentine flower arrangement last for as long as possible. Trim the flowers at least one inch and remove any leaves that would fall below the water line in the vase. Mix the packet of flower food that came from the florist with the water. Retrim the flowers on the third day and keep the water topped off. Keep the arrangement away from direct sunlight and heat.