Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Explore alternative flowers for the romantic holiday

Peonies, carnations and others can serve well for Valentine’s Day


By METRO CREATIVE

The rose may be traditional for Valentine’s Day, but there are several alternatives when choosing romantic flowers, including Dahlias, above. METRO photo

    Behind only Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day is the second most popular day to give flowers to a loved one. Thousands upon thousands of roses are imported from areas of South America in time for Valentine’s Day, and the rose has become the unofficial flower of this day.
    Those who have given a bouquet of roses before understand that roses can be quite expensive, and that price only rises on holidays like Valentine’s Day. Instead of feeling pressured into giving a dozen long-stemmed roses, gift-givers can explore other beautiful flower options available.    
    Red roses may signify love, but just about any other crimson-hued flower can also represent the strong emotions felt for a sweetheart—and at a much more affordable cost. When visiting the florist to have a bouquet or arrangement of flowers assembled for Valentine’s Day, consider mixing and matching some other flowers for an arrangement with flair and originality.

    • Dahlias: Named after Anders Dahl, a Swedish botanist, these flowers are native to Mexico but actually prefer cooler growing conditions. Dahlias come in all sizes, from small blooms of a few inches to much larger blossoms that may be a foot in width. They are related to the sunflower, daisy and chrysanthemum. The Dahlia usually is not a scented flower, which may work for people who are especially sensitive to scented blooms.
    • Chrysanthemums: Also known as mums, chrysanthemums are versatile flowers that symbolize optimism, joy, fidelity and love. Although mums are traditionally yellow, they can also be white, red and other hybrid hues.
    • Peonies: Peonies are herbaceous perennial plants that produce large, often fragrant flowers ranging in color from red to white. Peonies are highly prized by Eastern cultures, and in China they are known as the “flower of riches and honor.”
    • Carnations:  Carnations have the scientific name of Dianthus, which means “flowers of God.” Carnations are particularly coveted because they can last long after being cut, which makes them popular in floral arrangements. Dark red carnations are said to convey affection and deep love. Because of their popularity, carnations are often easily affordable.
    • Columbine: Columbine is native to North America, Asia and Europe. It has lacy-looking leaves and bell-shaped flowers. While columbines are traditionally used as garden plants to attract hummingbirds, a few blooms added to a floral arrangement can brighten up the design.
    • Poppies: Low-maintenance and usually easy to grow, poppies’ vivid red color and large blooms add to their aesthetic appeal.
    • Cardinals: Cardinals are long, tubular flowers that grow wild throughout North America. Tall and dramatic, these red flowers can add drama to any floral arrangement.
    • The rose may be traditional for Valentine’s Day, but gifting with a variety of red-hued flowers may add visual appeal and affordability to arrangements.




About Comments

Comments with content that seeks to incite or inflame may be removed.

Comments that are in ALL CAPS may be removed.

Comments that are off-topic or that include profanity or personal attacks, libelous or other inappropriate material may be removed from the site. Entries that are unsigned or contain signatures by someone other than the actual author may be removed. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or any other policies governing this site. Use of this system denotes full acceptance of these conditions. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

The comments below are from the readers of mtexpress.com and in no way represent the views of Express Publishing, Inc.

You may flag individual comments. You may also report an inappropriate or offensive comment by clicking here.

Flagging Comments: Flagging a comment tells a site administrator that a comment is inappropriate. You can find the flag option by pointing the mouse over the comment and clicking the 'Flag' link.

Flagging a comment is only counted once per person, and you won't need to do it multiple times.

Proper Flagging Guidelines: Every site has a different commenting policy - be sure to review the policy for this site before flagging comments. In general these types of comments should be flagged:

  • Spam
  • Ones violating this site's commenting policy
  • Clearly unrelated
  • Personal attacks on others
Comments should not be flagged for:
  • Disagreeing with the content
  • Being in a dispute with the commenter

Popular Comment Threads



 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.