Long stemmed red roses are traditionally associated with Valentine’s Day, although other flowers are catching up. Such blooms as tulips, carnations, azaleas, and sweetheart or miniature roses are becoming popular Valentine flowers as well. There is a rainbow of colors for these flowers, including red, pink, white, peach, lavender, and yellow.

If you choose to buy some roses and present them to your loved one in person, choose blooms that are just starting to open so they will last longer. In order to protect these flowers, wrap them well to protect against cold temperatures. Chilling can cause damage to the blossoms. There are other choices than roses. Ask your florist to create a bouquet of mixed flowers using a red, pink and white color theme. Some good possibilities for these Valentine flowers are daisies, carnations, freesia, tulips, ginger, red anthurium, and alstromeria. Top this off with some sprigs of baby’s breath and you’re good to go.

Another choice for Valentine’s Day flowers is a potted flowering plant. This will be the gift that keeps on giving through the winter. You will be able to find potted azaleas, tulips, chrysanthemums, cyclamens, and other varieties that are unusual blooms. For example, the kalanchoe is a perfect selection. It has bright red flowers that set high up on spikes surrounded by fuzzy leaves and more red, purple, or blue blossoms.

When presenting a flowering potted plant as your Valentine flowers, make sure to choose one that has a lot of buds just about to open instead of just one that’s already in full bloom. Also check the buds, blossoms, and the underneath sides of the leaves for any sign of insects or disease. Attach a card with your gift that explains care instructions.

If you aren’t quite sure what to get, consider a gift certificate from a nursery. In this way, you can be assured that your intended has exactly the type of flower or plant they truly love. You can also make arrangements for rose bushes that can be delivered when it’s a good time to plant them outside.

A gardener may appreciate a gift of seed package “bouquets” rather than Valentine flowers. These seeds can include different varieties of flowers including snapdragons, cosmos, Shasta daisies, asters, zinnias, delphiniums, and baby’s breath. You could also promise to come and plant a perennial or culinary herb garden when it becomes spring.

The important thing to remember when it comes to the perfect flowers for Valentine’s Day is that your selections are limitless. Valentine’s Day isn’t just about roses any more.

There are several different ways for children to make these pretty flowers, and they can all be adjusted according to how old they are. Each age group can master certain abilities. Your part is to decide just how much of the work you will need to do in helping with the Valentine flower.

One method is to draw templates ahead of time for the children to use. You can draw or trace at least 4 heart shapes to use as the petals of the flowers, as well as a stem and a couple of smaller hearts for leaves. Depending on the age of the children, you may need to cut these shapes out yourself. Construction paper is the best material to use for the flowers. Try red or pink for the petals, and green for the stem and leaves.

It’s also good to use construction paper to glue the parts of the Valentine flower on. The desired result should be a cross between a card and a picture suitable for framing. When all the parts of the flower have been assembled, glue a piece of light colored paper underneath the finished bloom. On this paper, either you or the children will be printing a Valentine message or verse. This can be original or borrowed from an appropriate poem, giving credit to the author at the end.

Another way to create this loving and easy Valentine’s Day surprise is through the use of cupcake or muffin liners. As they are already fluted, they can make the perfect Valentine flower. Again, you will need templates of a stem and leaves in green. Glue these to a piece of construction paper. Next, have the children glue a piece of round colored construction paper to the top of the stem. Add the liner to it, gluing only on the bottom of it to the circle. Now you have a pretty center for your flower. This can also have a Valentine verse added to it for more authenticity.

A huge part of the fun in making these is the look of pride that appears on a child’s face when they see the finished Valentine flower. They are so pleased with what they have accomplished and eager to present their special gifts to the lucky recipients. These flowers are perfect for parents, grandparents, and anyone else who is important in the lives of the children.