WHAT'S YOUR BLOOM?

 What Flowers Are in your Bouquet this Valentine’s Day?

By Kavya Kamath

February 14th, 2022… Valentine’s Day. Whether you love it or you hate it, whether you have a valentine or you don’t, the day is fast approaching and flower sales will soon be booming. Valentine’s Day and receiving flowers from a crush or lover have long been intertwined, and between carnations, roses, lilies, tulips, and the alstroemeria, there are many Valentine’s Day flowers, each with their own unique meanings and special significance.

Most infamous in the Valentine’s bouquet are red, pink, and white roses: over half of all men and women buy roses on cupid’s holiday1! Synonymous with “romance, passion, and beauty,”2 roses are the valentine’s cult classic sure not to disappoint. Fragrant and lovely, the flower symbolizing love is undoubtedly the Valentine’s Day flower.

Despite the uncontested popularity of the rose, carnations also have considerable share in the Valentine’s flower market. This is largely due to the affordability, plethora of colors, and “girliness” of the flower,2 though added benefits include how long the flower lasts after being cut. But, to the average-flower buyer, this is immaterial. Instead, if your lover is a newer one, you can rely on the cutesy carnation instead of the intense rose to convey your depth of feeling.

Less common but still popular is the lily. Dramatic, bold, and fragrant, a bouquet of lilies is for the go-big-or-go-home, the do-or-die, the till-death-do-us-part lovers. The elegance and ostentation of its petals are not for the floral minimalist, but will announce your feelings without shame. To amp up the drama even further, the alstroemeria, or Peruvian lily, is another popular choice for the holiday. With multiple florets per stem and a little more delicacy than the true lily, the alstroemeria is its perfect counterpart in a bouquet of sophistication.

Finally, standing fully opposed to both lilies, is the classic tulip. Though not readily associated with Valentine's Day, the tulip’s simplicity and traditionally have roots in the Victorian Era.2 Long lasting and even simple, the tulip can convey pure and grounded love for anyone in your life, not just your lover. So yes, get your grandmother some tulips for Valentine’s Day, she will love them.

Roses Carnations Lilies Alstroemeria Tulips

Sources:

1: https://www.cnn.com/2013/02/13/living/valentines-day-statistics-btn/;

2: https://www.teleflora.com/blog/5-most-popular-flowers-to-give-on-valentines-day/

3: https://www.sendflowers.com/most-popular-valentines-day-flowers.htm