V-Day: Floral options to beat the rose

Roses are the flower of love, but they are not the only variety that is romantic. There is no celebration in the world sans flowers, so also Valentine’s Day flower, and they only speak the language of love. Many flowers are there to be gifted on Valentine’s Day. Hibiscus indicates delicate beauty, Lotus means separated love and lily of the valley means let us make up or return of happiness.

When you think of Valentine’s Day flower chances are a dozen long-stemmed red roses come to mind. But there’s nothing more boring than this traditional bouquet. A dozen roses is something that is expected. You can think a little more creatively. Price rise of roses go through the roof, you can get a better and bigger floral arrangement for your money if you do things a little bit differently. Be creative, and dare to think out of the box.

Unsurprisingly, this classic bud is the most popular choice for the Valentine’s Day; CNN reported that an overwhelming 51 per cent of people buy red roses for Valentine’s Day. It could be because red roses have a heavenly aroma and symbolize love, romance, beauty and perfection. The iconic flower is known for being pricey. Flower growers hold back their rose bushes for months in other to have them bloom in time for February 14 and then they raise the prices giving roses that sought after reputation. All these other options are picks that stand up to and even beat the classic red rose.

This is equally true with tropical arrangements like anthurium, orchids and ornamental ginger flowers. The exotic brilliance of these tropical rain forest flowers can be almost overwhelming as they are specially vibrant and enchanting in comparison to their more subdued western counterparts.

Orchids, anthurims, ornamental ginger flowers are reminiscent of their origin. In floral arrangements they seem to portray the essence, of the enchantment of their tropical rainforest habit where they grow with wild abandon. They add an exotic mix of fantasy to your floral desgns. Orchids in particular are delicate and graceful, representing love, beauty, luxury and strength plus they send the message of exotic seduction. Green cymbidium orchid

For couples who haven’t been dating too long, consider the green orchid cymbidium. It is cool and very modern, and it pairs well with purple flowers in a bouquet or as an accent associated with love and beauty, which makes them even more fitting for valentines day. They are pretty robust which mean they will not damage enroute to your significant other and last up to 3 weeks in the vase.If someone gives you this tropical blooms, they’re a little wilder than the person who goes for a dozen roses. The tropicals hold well and last longer both in bouquet and pots.

Tulips
The elegant and easily identifiable blooms are one of the most popular flowers in the world but are most associated with the Netherlands where they flourished in the 17th century. Red and pink tulips symbolize fresh beginnings, making them great to give when you’ve just started a romance. A red tulip represents perfect love” according to one Turkish legend. Tulips can also help if you’re in the doghouse; smooth things over with yellow tulips (cheerful thought) and encourage forgiveness with white tulips. Tulips generally convey comfort and warmth, and are a good v-day’s pick since they are classic and less expensive.

French Tulips
Tall French tulips are giants of the tulip world, the blooms are about the size of an outstretched hand if you put your fingers together, and as wide as a fist and with stems over three feet tall, they dwarf typical tulips. In addition to being much larger, these flowers make for memorable arrangements.

Sunflowers
The yellow petals and open face of this big bright flower symbolizes the sun they are named for, these blossoms represents warmth, happiness, adoration and lasting love. These spirit lifting flowers also stands for loyalty.

Lilies
Lilies are elegant and refined, but a bold choice. The white oriental case Blanca lilies typically stand for beauty” class and style. A man who creates bouquet with these dramatic and expensive lilies is sophisticated and knows his partner well. And people love this stunning blooms heady fragrance. Another suggestion are mini Cala lily which blends magnificence and beauty with purity and innocence, or red Alstroemeria or Peruvian lilies which are long lasting attention grabbing, retain represents friendship and devotion. The red flowers mixes heart shape leaves with a hint of yellow and feature multiple blossom per stem, which make for voluptuous arrangements. Perhaps best of all, they are easy to find and affordable.

Chrysanthemum
Red fiery Chrysanthemum flowers are all about love and passion, so gift these to your lovely lady if you’re feeling romantic.

Irises
In some parts the world, dark blue or purple Irises indicate royalty, no matter their color (they’re most commonly seen in blue, white and yellow) they stand for hope and faith. Mix them up with red tulips or daisies for a striking combination

Peonies
Are associated with romance, prosperity, bashfulness. Some believe they’re good luck charm of some sorts, bringing fortune to whoever receives them. Peonies also have roots in Greek mythology: as one myth states, Apollo used to turn beautiful nymphs into peonies if Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, knew he was flirting with them. For this one, I guess the ladies can accept peonies only if the one is giving it, is not an Apollo” by name.

Matthiola incana
The spicy cinnamon and dove scent of this delicate bouquet will be a pleasant surprise to your valentine. Once you tell her they symbolize beauty that does fade with age and a lifetime of happiness, they’re sure to become her favorite flower.

Gardenia
Is loaded, with fragrance, these elegant flowers signify purity and joy, and connote deep, old-fashioned love. The man who buys these likely has a history with the woman he’s buying them for, because they’re pricey and are sold as single blooms.
They’ll definitely make a statement on the V-day.

Succulents
Well, if you’re a woman and you want to buy flowers for your guy, pick up a pot at these to say I love you; more spiny than delicate, succulents like aloe, cacti, or semperivivum are easy to care for months inside or out.

Red lion amaryllis is striking. Amaryllis is a lovely alternative if you want to buy your date red flowers. The variety of amaryllis called red lion is a super romantic gorgeous flower with stem length that competes with as long stem rose. Amaryllis will last at least two weeks and look especially striking with its green leaves especially striking with its green leaves and stems showing through in a clear vase.

Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas come in a variety of colors from white to purple and resemble big round pompoms. One suggest getting a mix of flowers to really let the color pop. They make for a bigger bouquet than the standard rose and cheaper. But be warned hydrangeas need a lot of water to stay fresh in a vase.

Black Baccara hybrid tea rose
For traditional and die hard rose lover, for married or more serious couple buying an arrangement would look gorgeous in the home. For elegant, fresh option, look at the the black baccarat rose. It is so dark burgundy that’s its magical. It needs no other adornment, cut the stems very short, get a short vase and pack the roses tightly together, no greenery or other flowers. This will be put as a center piece in the middle of the dinner table. The presentation is so luxurious that nothing would frankly compete with it. These will last two weeks in a vase and is a show stopper compared to boring red roses.

If you are at loss for what to get dont be afraid to think outside the box-your date will appreciate it.There are so many options in flowers that no matter what your budget is on price point you can have something pretty and meaningful. Call your local florist and shops like Flowers talk , Ikoyi , Temple Muse ,Victoria Island and more for your choices. Happy Valentine’s Day!