Valentine’s Day means that both sap and cliché will be back in style for a day. People will give the usual Hallmark cards with pre-written messages on the side of a bouquets of roses. However, to make a gift stand out, a rose may not be the best flower to use when expressing love this Valentine’s Day.
With all of the hustle and bustle and clever marketing, people often lose sight of the reason why they are giving gifts to their significant other. The real reason that people give gifts like this is to express love. Gerry Dye, the lead marriage and family counselor for LIFE Marriage Retreats said,”The main focus of Valentine’s Day, at least for us adults, has become about expressions of love and care for the most significant people in our lives.”
“Giving a gift (such as flowers) is often the most obvious way to show interest, strengthen a bond, or show appreciation for someone special,” Collins said. “Because it’s so easy to get caught up in the chaos of everyday life, even a small token of your appreciation can be just the thing to let someone know how much you care.”
Giving love is the main focus of Valentine’s Day, but each person loves differently. Roses may not be the best expression of love for everyone.
“First off, if you know that she has a favorite flower, get her that flower for sure, but if you don’t know her favorite flower, there are many romantic alternatives to roses.” said Jacob Johnson, vice-president at the Watson Flower Shop in Tempe Arizona
Here are the top four suggestions that Johnson gave for flowers that can be considered romantic alternatives to roses.
Lilies
“What’s nice about lilies is that they have longevity. They are very fragrant. In fact, they are one of the few flowers with a real strong fragrance,” Johnson said. “Most other flowers such as roses have lost much of their fragrance through hybridization and cross breeding. As an added bonus, on the stem you get about three blooms per stem. One bloom is already open. The other two will open later.”
Gerber Daisies
Gerber Daisies come in a large variety of amazingly vibrant colors. “Most young women like Gerber daisies. They are associated with youth and with fun. They come in lots of colors. White red, orange, red, purple, lavender, pink and much more.” Johnson said. Another nice thing about Gerber daisies is that they have beautiful large blooms.
Tulips
Tulips are widely recognized for their beauty. They are often associated with vibrancy because they are some of the first flowers to bloom in the spring time. Johnson said that they have long been a very traditional gift. Something special about tulips is they continue to grow as they sit in the vase. Also, the petals open when exposed to light and warmth and close when it is cool and dark.
Orchids
“Orchids are very elegant and high class,” Johnson said. Orchids are a larger flower. Many orchids are multicolored. One of the more popular breeds are white with purple in the middle; there are, however, many other color combinations.
