Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor
Flowers are a common way to convey love or appreciation on Valentine’s Day, whether it’s for a significant other, a friend or guardian. The most common flowers to use are roses, however, there are other flower options out there for those that want to do something different from the classic route. Peonies, chrysanthemums, lilies, alstroemeria and tulips — just to name a few — can signify love, and can be arranged together into a bouquet to make a loved one feel special.
Roses are known to symbolize love and romance, and are a cliché that’s used in many different fictional and real life scenarios. When they’re paired with gerbera daisies and alstroemeria — which can signify beauty and devotion, according to womansday.com — they can create a beautiful arrangement filled with red and white, or other preferred colors. Gerbera daisies are a flower with a large head, and can brighten the bouquet up with vibrancy and cheerfulness, while alstroemeria brings it all together with symbolism of loyalty and bright blooms.
A bouquet of red tulips is a simple yet pretty arrangement that means “perfect or everlasting love,” according to FTD Flowers (ftd.com). They come in a variety of colors; pink generally means happiness or confidence, and yellow focuses on cheerful thoughts. A combination of colors can illustrate just how important someone is and make them feel special. Orchids are a more exotic option to convey elegance, admiration and even friendship. They’ve been known to have many meanings — for example, during the Victorian age, a rare orchid was symbolic of how deep someone’s love was when it was given as a gift.
According to FTD Flowers, carnations are most associated with motherly love, and have many other meanings based on the hue of the petals. Luck and gratitude were indicated by white and pink, respectively, while various shades of red meant admiration and love. Pairing with red roses and white alstroemeria brings a bouquet of adoration and devotion fully to life.
Lilies are another flower related to devotion, but also have a variety of interpretations based on the type chosen. Calla lilies, for instance, are connected to beauty based on the meaning of the word ‘calla,’ which is defined as beautiful according to FTD Flowers. Calla lilies are commonly used to symbolize someone’s faithfulness or appreciation for another person. Another type of lily is a stargazer, which goes in hand with abundance and prosperity. A bundle of many lilies shows just how much someone cares for another, or can be used to amplify the feelings of another bouquet of mixed flowers.
Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu
Photos courtesy of Amber Horrall
