Every February flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. Many believe St. Valentine to have been a martyr for refusing to give up his Christian Faith. He died on February 14th, 269 AD, and on that day leaving a note to the jailer`s daughter, signed `From your Valentine`. Gradually, St. Valentine came to be known as the `patron saint of lovers`.

The first step of sending flowers to your sweetheart is figuring out their preferences. Do they have a favorite flower? What are their hobbies? What is their favorite color? There are many different flowers and floral arrangements that can melt even the pickiest person`s heart.

Valentine`s Day is a very busy floral holiday. To get the best selection and to ensure prompt delivery it is best to have your order made at least one week prior to the big day.

History of Cupid

According to Roman mythology, Cupid was the god of Love and the son of Venus. Venus was the goddess of love and beauty.

Cupid made people fall in love by shooting them with his “magical” arrows. Cupid not only made others fall in love, he too fell deeply in love with a mortal maiden by the name of Psyche.

Cupid and Psyche got married. Venus was very jealous of Psyche’s beauty and would not allow her to look at Cupid. Eventually, her sisters convinced her to look at the handsome Cupid. Venus punished her daughter-in-law and made her complete three difficult tasks. The last one resulted in Psyche’s death.

Cupid found her lifeless on the ground and removed the eternal sleep from her body, bringing her back to life. The gods were so touched by the love they shared that they granted her immortality. Cupid, therefore, represents the heart and Psyche represents the struggles of the human soul.

Valentine’s Day Gift Giving

The favorite flower of Venus, the roman Goddess of Love (Cupid’s Mother) was the red rose. The color red stands for strong feelings, this is why a red rose is known as the flower of love. The most popular colors of flowers given on Valentine’s Day are red, white, and pink (which is a combination of the latter two). Red symbolizes passion, while white symbolizes purity. Pink is generally the most appropriate color for young lovers – a meeting point between the red and white roses.

Giving flowers on Valentine’s Day became more popular in the 17th century. Roses have long been associated with love, and today they are considered synonymous with Valentine’s Day. Traditionally, long-stemmed red roses are given on Valentine’s Day along with chocolates. Chocolate has been long associated with sensuality and indulgence, both of which are deeply entrenched in Valentine’s Day celebrations.

If you are giving roses to a friend or family member, red roses may not be the perfect gift. Try giving them yellow, peach, white, or a mixture of all of the colors.

Why Valentine`s Day Prices are So Much Higher

This is a simple case of supply and demand. The most popular flowers for Valentine`s Day are long-stemmed roses, especially long-stemmed red roses. Several rosebuds must be sacrificed to obtain a single long-stemmed rose. There is normally a lot of product sacrificed after the Christmas demand to make room to fulfill the demand for Valentine`s Day roses. Another contributing factor is that Valentine`s Day brings with it longer hours, and florists and greenhouses having to hire additional help to get through this busy time.

Valentine`s Day Statistics

In 2003 the estimated number of roses sold was 156 million. Valentine`s Day ranks 4th in holiday sales. On Valentine`s Day the vast majority of the flowers sold are cut flowers, ranking them first amongst the holidays for cut flowers only sold. Of the cut flowers purchased just over half of them are roses, with red being the most popular.