 The Society of American Florists asked some of the country’s top florists and floral designers to describe what’s in style for flowers this Valentine’s Day, from popular flowers and color combinations to trendy flower design styles and flower delivery advice.Here is a compilation of theirs and our DIY LA Flower District California Flower Mall Valentine’s Day flower trends, ideas and ordering tips. Click the images to see a larger picture.
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 Photo courtesy of Heather de Kok, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, of Grower Direct Fresh Flowers Inc. in Edmonton, Alberta. |
- Enjoy a romantic dinner for two at home. Make it special with a floral centerpiece or sprinkled rose petals on the table, orchid blossoms tied to the neck of a bottle of champagne or wine and a flower petal path leading the way to the table.
- Make a flower trail throughout your house leading to a bubble bath sprinkled with rose petals.
- Lay a few fragrant flowers near the bedside or on her pillow.
Beach Honeymoon
- Recreate a Hawaiian honeymoon complete with long-lasting tropical flowers and lei to wear. Picture your Valentine wearing gorgeous orchid lei when it’s chilly outside.
- Ask your florist to add colored sand and seashells in bouquets or vases to really create the mood!
More flower ideas:
- Tropical flowers, such as Birds of Paradise, anthurium, ginger, or orchids with an accent of fresh fruit and foliages
- A simple collection of orchids in a vase
- Bells of Ireland and delphinium. The cool greens and blues will conjure up the memories of the beautiful Caribbean.
European Vacation
- Relax in English “Bed & Breakfast” with a low traditional bowl of garden roses, ivy and wax flowers. Serve the flowers on a small tray with teacups filled with gourmet teas and crumpets.
- Take in the French countryside with an arrangement of fresh herbs and wild flowers such as heather, daisies, delphinium and miniature roses.
- Stroll through a French Garden with brightly hued blooming plants arranged in a classic wicker basket.
More flower ideas:
- Flowers in rich purples, reds and blues
- A lovely European dish garden embraces a mixture of fresh flowers with blooming or green plants.
- For another European look, send a loose arrangement of garden-style flowers such as tulips, hydrangeas, ranunculus and roses in a clear glass vase or decorative container.
- Hand-tied bouquets are popular in Europe:
- A hand-tied bouquet with all accent flowers and a couple of roses
- A textural hand-tied bouquet embellished with decorative beads and wires with colorful wraps
Spa Weekend
- Create a spa-like atmosphere with aromatic flowers like freesia, stock and sweet peas to sooth the senses.
- Pair select complimentary aromatherapy bath products with a floral arrangement featuring flowers in relaxing blues, lavenders and greens with fresh eucalyptus and soft foliage. Aromatherapy uses natural essential flower oils that interact with the olfactory sense of smell to create soothing, tranquil moods.Lavender essential oil is perfect for creating a calm, serene sense of well being for your sweetheart.
- Place several small blue and green arrangements in the bathroom or bedroom.
- Embrace your sweetheart with a sense of calm with the soft scent of purple freesia in a clear cylinder with pale pink petals floating in the vase.
More DIY flower ideas:
- An all white floral arrangement in a sea glass vase or frosted with aquamarine accents
- Monobotanic bouquet of blue iris in a clear glass vase with sea glass or shells clustered together in the bottom of the vase
- A simple glass vase filled with callas or white Casablanca lilies and cool blue glass gems inside the vase.
Wine Country Getaway
Use purples, reds and green in various textures to evoke the feeling of a stroll in the vineyard. Try these ideas:
- A few beautiful roses or lilies arranged in an empty wine bottle shared on a past date. She’ll love the sentimentality.
- Deep reds (roses, carnations and soft greens). Add accents of vines, mosses and a bottle of wine.
- Grapes, sunflowers, grasses-outdoorsy and lots of yellow/peach/olive greens
- Burgundy flowers with fresh grapes and Brie cheese in a large basket
- Include a bottle of wine or fresh fruit and grapes with deep wine colored roses
- Bold collection of vibrant purple anemones or alstroemeria, green hydrangea, hypericum and red roses.
- Rich royal-colored floral bouquet consisting of a mixture of textural materials such as purple tulips, magenta stock, green hydrangea and lavender roses tied with natural raffia. The design may include clusters of grapes.
Other Exciting Destinations
- Cuddle up in a snowed in ski lodge with a roaring fire and beautiful white roses.
- Conjure up the charm of the South Pacific with a beautifully designed arrangement with an Asian flair.
- Orchids and other fragile blooms can remind couples of rainforest getaways.
- An assortment of flowers from the garden in a bouquet conjures the feeling of a stroll through a country garden.
- Experience a trip to Japan with an Ikebana floral design of several stems of orchids or Fuji Chrysanthemums. Add a Japanese flower arranging kit and book along with some wonderful teas.
Special Moments
- Recreate the love you shared on your wedding day with blooms from her bridal bouquet.
- Recreate the magic of the proposal or first date with flowers.
- Send a Spring or Summer Sunshine bouquet to say you’re looking forward to spending time in warmer weather together.
- Instead of recreating a memory, send a bouquet that evokes the charm of a place you dream of going to some day with your loved one.
- Start a new day to remember, by placing flowers throughout the house or apartment to surprise her. It’s easy and inexpensive with a visit to California Flower Mall open later evening hours the week before Valentine’s Day. Check mid week to find out when CFM opens later evening hours and all night before the holiday.
Valentine’s Day Flowers
Red roses symbolize passionate love and are traditional for Valentine’s Day. Other beautiful Valentine’s Day flowers to send this year:
- Gerberas are popular in every size and color.
- Mini flowers: mini gerberas, mini carnations, spray roses, kermit poms
- Tulips
- Orchids: Dendrobium or Cymbidium
- Roses in a variety of colors. Ask your florist for some unusual varieties that can really make an impression; there are so many fabulous choices that will impress your Valentine with your creativity: orange roses are hotter than hot; peach roses; lavender roses; and pastel roses. Or pick your own at California Flower Mall
- Stargazer lilies
- Proteas
- Iris
- Ranunculus
- Bells of Ireland
- Fragrant gardenias
Valentine’s Day Colors
Red is traditional for Valentine’s Day color, other combinations also will wow your sweetheart. Here are popular colors and color combinations for this Valentine’s Day:
- Red, pinks and purples
- Hot pink, orange and lime
- With the 2011 Pantone Color of the Year being Honeysuckle, think pink and coral.
- Mixed purple shades accented with lime green.
- Orange and red for a hot and spicy combination.
- Hot pink, chartreuse green and orange sherbet tones are appealing to the young and the young at heart.
- Vibrant hot pinks
- Shades of pink with accents of bright spring green
- Rich jewel tones such as plums, raspberries or Bordeaux
- Lime green
- Monochromatic (flowers all in the same color family)
Valentine’s Day Floral Design Styles
- Low centerpieces in square containers embellished with beaded wire
- Fresh flowers casually designed in simple glass vessel
- Compact designs
- Pavé rose arrangements (short stems tightly grouped to form a flat, uniform surface of beautiful rose buds)
- Natural and organic looks
- Floral arrangements displayed in geometric glass containers, such as cubes and cylinders.
- Containers in exciting, funky color palettes, such as fuchsia, bright orange, Nile green, or peach
- Small vases connected together to display single blossoms
- Bud-vases that look like small milk bottles
- Handled baskets for plants
- Arrangements with braided foliages accents or lacey bear grass accents
- Flower stems designed inside the clear glass vase
Want to send something different?
- Orchids in all shapes and sizes from Choi Orchids at California Flower Mall
- Tropical flowers, such as birds of paradise
- Red mini callas accented with red and black ostrich feathers
- Spring blooming plants
- Proteas
- Sunflowers
- Send your sweetheart’s pet some Valentine’s Day flowers.
On a tight budget? There are lots of wonderful DIY Valentine’s Day flower budget friendly options for you:
- Buy a beautiful bouquet at the LA Flower District California Flower Mall for under $10 and an elegant contemporary $1 vase at a local Dollar Tree store.
- Go to the florist shop to select your floral gift, and deliver it to your sweetheart in person.
- Send one long-stem rose. It really is an all-time romantic gesture.
- Send a bulb plant in a twiggy basket with fresh blossoms accented with curly willow and wired ribbon. Later, your sweetheart can plant the bulb outside in the spring.
- A beautiful stem of cymbidium orchid accented with lily grass, gift wrapped
- A perfect bloom (rose, orchid, gerbera, etc.) floating in a lovely glass vase accented with crystals all the materials can be purchased at California Flower Mall and your local Dollar Tree store for less than $5
- A tight gathering of tulips designed in a julep cup or small glass vase – perfect for her desktop.
Send Flowers to Your Man
Men love flowers and plants, and nearly a third of women buy their husbands floral gifts for Valentine’s Day. All of these choices are available from wholesalers at the LA Flower District California Flower Mall
- Birds of Paradise paired with orange carnations and purple statice.
- Tropical flowers such as birds of paradise with orange roses and a single red rose. Ask your florist to arrange the flowers in a clean contemporary vase with some bold foliage or do it yourself dollar tree stores have a wide variety of classic vases to choose form.
- Plants, such as anthuriums, bromeliads, cacti or other succulents
- Sunflowers
- Hypericum
- Rainbow Roses
- Dendrobium Orchids
- Beautiful preserved mosses in natural grays and lime green add great texture to any floral arrangement or dish garden.
- Manzanita branches with sprigs of moss set in a simple wood casing is a striking design appointment for a contemporary study or workspace.
Send Flowers to Your Mom
More than a quarter of American adults give their mothers flowers or plants for Valentine’s Day.
- A lovely mix of blooms, such as lilies, sprays of roses, alstroemeria and gerberas with beautiful foliages for texture and contrast.
- A sweet, pastel colored bouquet of freesia and spray roses.
- For a “hip” mom, send something bright and spirited, such as orange or hot pink roses and tulips.
- Flowers in her favorite color
- Roses
- Soft or vibrant colors
- Fragrant stargazers
- Casablanca lilies
- Carnations
- Plants such as azaleas or kalanchoes
- Anthuriums
- Hydrangeas
- Orchids
- Freesias
Source or Order Flowers Locally – Be Sure To Give the Best
- Make sure you know where the flowers are coming from. There is a common assumption that flowers ordered online will arrive on time, arranged in a vase and look like the picture on the website. While many Internet companies put their orders though a local professional florist, some offer product “direct from the grower” and the flowers are boxed and must be processed (cut stems) and designed by the recipient.
- If your expectation is give a gift of flowers that are professionally designed and delivered to your sweetheart’s door or office, make sure you are ordering from a company that puts the orders through a professional florist.
- To find a local florist, visit www.nationalfloristdirectory.com.
- Do It Yourself with farm fresh Valentine’s flower bouquets and arrangements at the Los Angeles Flower District California Flower Mall and get discounts of up to 70% off retail. Wholesalers will process flowers for you. Some have professionally designed flower gifts in vases ready for delivery, many florists purchase these beautiful professionally designed arrangements in bulk to fill busy Valentine’s last minute floral orders when they run out of time, patience and the ability to be in 100 places at once..