Flowers are undoubtedly one of the best gifts to give and receive on Valentine's Day. A rose box for Valentine's Day is sure to put a smile on anyone's face, whether they're a long-time lover or a bright new flame.
The only problem is there are so many wonderfully different flowers you could gift the one you love for Valentine's, is one better than the other? Here are 5 of the greatest flowers you could gift this Valentine's day.
5: Sunny and Bright Sunflowers
Sunflowers are a great gift for family and friends. They're warm, bright and cheery without being too audacious or overwhelming. In the language of colour, yellow is a symbol of friendship, making Sunflowers the perfect choice when gifting a friend on Valentine's.
Sunflowers also have a long history with many uses. But did you know they didn't exist in Europe until the 16th century?
Sunflowers are native to North and Central America, though a triple set of Sunflower variants are only found in South America. These flowers were brought from the Old World to Europe, where they quickly became a phenomenon. They were also cultivated as a food source and crop rotation flower for centuries in the fertile black soil.
You may not know that sunflowers also produce highly nutritious and delicious seeds. They have a unique ability to move to follow the sun while flowering, making them an attractive addition to any garden or windowsill.
Perhaps the most famous example of sunflowers is Van Gogh's portrait, simply titled "Sunflowers". Van Gogh painted a whole series of still-life portraits of sunflowers. These went unrecognised in his day but have since become viral sensations across the world. Today, it's one of the most recognisable paintings in the world.
Number 4: Pods of Pretty Flowers – Tulips
Tulips are a simple, quiet and humble flower. They come in a variety of bright colours, from primary school red to a subtle white or friendly yellow.
Tulips have a rather surprising history of causing a major financial crisis in the Netherlands. The Dutch went crazy for these flowers in the 17th century. Many traders bought and sold Tulips for ridiculous prices, entire rows or fields worth billions in today's currency. But the craze eventually died down, and people were left with pretty fields of low-value flowers, but not before the Dutch merchants essentially made tulips the defacto currency of the Netherlands.
With how much people now associate Tulips with the Netherlands, you'd never think they originally came from central Anatolia or Modern-day Turkey. Here, they were cultivated by the eastern Roman empire during the 11th century. Muslim Turks later adopted the tulip as a symbol of their sultanates, linking the flower in Europe as an Islamic symbol.
Today, the flower is still a tourist trap in Holland. Tulip festivals are held every spring around the world to celebrate their cultural impact. Tulips also make for fantastic Valentine's bouquet arrangements. They exude a stylish and expensive history, which makes them almost the most "extravagant" flower on this list! Give them to a partner who likes a little more razzle dazzle in their presents.
Number 3: The Friendliest Flower – Daisies
The daisy is a rather common plant with many personalities that is simple but can look as gorgeous as any other flower when arranged properly. Daisies come in many colours, white and yellow being the most popular. White daisies in particular, are a symbol of close friendship, often between women.
The Daisy is native to Europe and very widely spread. Often called the "English Daisy", its most famous form is the wild tufts of weedlike flowers that grow on your grass in summer. Though not native to the Americas, they spread and out-compete various native weed flowers in the New World.
The daisy is not only a flower but can be used as a unique potherb for cooking and flavouring. The flower and its leaves can be used in sandwiches, soups and salads to add an earthy and wholesome flavour to your meal. This flower can even be used to strain tea or make herbal medicine.
One of the most famous uses of daisies is to make daisy chains or flower crowns. This is an adorable way to make someone feel special this Valentine's. Oddly enough, the name Daisy is a nickname for any girl called Margaret, coming from the French name for the oxeye daisy, marguerite.
All this makes a bouquet of daisies The perfect flowers for Valentine's Day for anyone, be they a romantic partner or a best friend. They're especially well-received by women, so keep that in mind as you read this list!
Number 2: Luxurious and Lascivious – Lilies
Lilies are a flower with an innately romantic and passionate symbology. They represent purity and fertility and also new life or death. They resonate with passion, and their opening bloom from an enclosed bulb has often been linked to this explosion of emotion.
Lilies are an Old-World plant native across most of Eurasia. Like the daisy, they have managed to gain a foothold in the Americas and are now found across Southern Canada and the United States.
Lilies give off a succulent scent, partly thanks to their opening bulbs and pollen sticks. These are enticing landing spots for bees, birds and butterflies.
It should go without saying that as one of the top choices for wedding flowers, Lilies are known to have an elegant, romantic touch. Maybe a bunch of Lilies will bring a smile to your Valentine's face this year.
Number 1: The Flower of Romance – Roses
And now for our personal favourite, roses! The quintessential flowers for Valentine's Day that speak love, friendship and appreciation. Roses are the go-to choice for Valentine's Day, and for a good reason.
Roses are typically thought to have originated to the east, in Asia, and have slowly garnered a foothold in Europe as their popularity grew. The Roman Church banned roses for several centuries, claiming that it was a pagan flower due to the Old Roman obsession with the rose.
Despite this, roses survived to become a staple in medieval culture. Many knights, obsessed with French Chivalric codes of honour, used the rose to signify their delicate and educated nature (and to win over fair maidens!). Roses eventually became a staple of many French, English and Hispanic coats of arms.
The most famous event relating to roses is the Wars of the Roses. While not an actual war about rose colours, the two English royal houses of York and Lancaster had white and red roses as their respective sigil. Their almost 100-year-long conflict is seen as the beginning of modern England. The English rose (Or Tudor rose) has been a symbol of the English Monarchy ever since Henry Tudor united the two houses at the war's end. For those who want to know which colour flower won, Henry Tudor was a Lancastrian.
Throughout history, roses have been recognised as the most romantic flower and the ultimate one to symbolise every kind of love. They can be given to lovers, old and new, family and friends, without worry that your love won't be recognised.
The Gift of Roses Today
Roses symbolise love, courtship and historical love. Because of this, there is a rush to buy roses every Valentine's Day. Fresh-cut roses may fly off the shelves, but most people have no idea about the negative environmental impact they still have.
Farmed out of season to meet the demands of Valentine's, fresh-cut roses are a gift that will only last a few days. But we can offer a lasting, sustainable alternative. Only farmed in season and naturally sustained for long life, each of our rose boxes is a gift that will be cherished for years, not days. See all of our available infinity roses here!
