Valentine's Day is almost upon us, and the vexing question of how many red roses you can afford is looming large in your life. But should it. Red roses may be the traditional Valentine flower gift, but at double the price than on any other day? Time to regroup and do some hard thinking. I have collected you a few ideas about what you could do instead and still sty with flowers.
In the west of Europe, it is traditional to give red roses as a Valentine Flower Gift. Usually these bouquets are counted by the dozen and cost twice as much as on any other day. My warning first: Don't use any of the 'flowers by mail' companies to send roses; it is one big disappointment waiting for you and the recipient. They buy the cheapest roses in the market and still ask too much money for them. And don't get them from the supermarket or the gas station. They are also cheap and look like an afterthought.
Does it have to be roses? Or could it be a single rose combined with another surprise? A beautiful single rose can say the same thing that a bouquet of 101 roses does. The number of roses is not important, the thought that goes into the whole Valentine package is important. Think about it and make a plan. It's much more fun than dumping a bunch of flowers on the kitchen table and then going for the remote.
You could go for a Russian themed Valentine's Day, too. In Russia, they give red tulips as a Valentine flower gift. If it has to be a bunch and go into a vase, there might be an affordable escape route for you. Talk to your florist, and remember that Russia and other Slav states are cornering the tulip market as much as we are cornering the roses market. But you should still get more for your money.
And then comes the moment where everybody is bored with red. I remember one year, we got a wrong delivery and had a pile of blue flowers that we never ordered and had no clue how to use. I asked all our florists to make three blue bouquets each in their individual style and with a bit of humor. We put them out for the night shift, and in the night all of them were sold to black cab drivers (that's London for you). They all had been married for 20 or more years and jumped on the blue bouquets; they had set aside the money for a dozen red roses, and they got a beautiful large bouquet in blue instead. As far as I heard, the recipients were happy, too.
This goes to show that thinking outside the box might be a problem solver, too. You an get a large bouquet with a single red rose in it. Or you could combine the red tulips with other spring flowers, preferably scented ones. Or, as shown above, fall completely off the red grid. There are moments when being traditional can also signal boredom and lack of imagination. Think about that.
Whatever you do, a flower or flowers for Valentine's Day is always a nice gift. And if you see a beautiful white rose, why not jump the fence and leave the red ones to someone else. Your sentiment and your effort is much more important than the color of a flower. nd if you want to put some effort into it; get a white rose and make a blue one, or a rainbow one.
Further reading
Saint Valentine and the Goddess Juno
How to Make Rainbow Roses
How to Make Blue Roses
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