Valentine Flowers

A small luxury, perhaps, but always a winsome offering, flowers are those Valentine's Day tokens of life and love in the midst of winter. Celebrated in many nations around the world like the United States, Germany, England, and France, Valentine's Day is closely associated with that queen of botanicals, the rose, but there are many other lovely blooms that are also traditional symbols of sentiment and quite as beautiful. Sacred to Venus, the Roman goddess of love and mother of Cupid, the rose has been a customary emblem of love since the time of the Biblical Solomon. According to legend, the Roman general Mark Antony is said to have carpeted Cleopatra's palace with rose petals to mark his love for the Egyptian queen. The art of the old world is festooned with scenes of lovers swooning with love amidst heady tufts of roses drenched with the eroticism of romance. Roses rank first among Valentine flowers. Today roses come in all manner of color from the traditional red, pink, and white to more surprising shades like blue, purple, and neon green. Long stem roses are most popular when it comes to this holiday, but tea roses and miniature roses are also growing in popularity due to their attractive looks and pleasing fragrance. Florists will carry large supplies of several rose varieties in a myriad of colors.

Roses are not the only story when it comes to Valentine flowers, however. Other flowers have been given as tokens of love and affection for as long as gifts have been given. Historically, many flowers have also been associated with a secret language surrounding the giving and receiving of love. During the Victorian period, in particular, the gift of a specific flower meant a very specific message. For example, violets signified the return of love and gardenias.