A gift of flowers on Valentine's Day

Do gardeners get flowers on Valentine's Day? Do they even want them? I don't know the larger answer to that question, but I know how I feel: No roses, no way. I'd be happy with daffs or Tulips or a pot of primroses from the grocery store. Or an orchid from our local growers. But I don't expect flowers on Valentine's Day. My guy has seen the bills for my first on-line purchases of plants for the garden. He didn't say a thing which is present enough for me.

But if he was feeling super generous, my heart beat faster when I saw this arrangement from Emily Thompson Flowers. It's called "Oh la la!" and certainly is. It is what I would call a counter-intuitive V-Day bouquet with its muted, mysterious colors and plants. Big enough to make a statement at 24-30 inches and expensive enough at $425.00 to show true love or perhaps true insanity. Alas for me — and lucky for he — they only deliver in the NYC area.

Comments

[Lisa at Greenbow]

I agree that those dead headed roses aren't much of a gift. I would much prefer a stroll through a seed/plant catalog. ;)

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Lisa — ​I agree. A stroll sounds lovely. And "stroll" perfectly suggests how we gardeners use catalogs.

[Erin @ The Impatient Gardener]

Wow, that is some bouquet! Frankly I'll take any flowers I can get but over-priced roses are at the bottom of the list. Alas, that's mostly what the gas station sells so it's usually what comes home. That PLUS keeping his trap shut about the plant "budget" are more than enough for me. I am hoping that the sort of wild, freeform bouquets that are getting popular with weddings, etc., will become more commonplace at average flower shops so there is an alternative to red roses + baby's breath.

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Erin — I definitely would rather have no complaints on my garden budget than flowers on V-Day.

[Frank]

Interesting choices. I don't think it would fit in on my dinner table but it sure would elicit a few comments! I just planted a few cardoon seeds last weekend, maybe I can do something similar this summer and see how it goes over.

[Les]

Part of a column I write included some information about florists' roses for the February issue. The little bit of research I did was a bit eye-opening.

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Les — ​A few years ago I wrote a long piece on all the flowers we buy in the grocery store and where they come form and how they are grown etc. Eye-opening indeed! Are you familiar with the "local/50 mile" flower movement, kind of like "eat local?" The attempt to combat foreign flowers.