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The author owns Bergerons Flowers and Gifts, located in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Her business is listed in the Shepherd's guide and has attracted considerable attention from local press and wayward Valentines needing some direction.

A few Myths about Valentines Day
  • "All women want red roses." - No, this is not some vast conspiracy against you, I really am doing you a favor. Don't believe me? Just ask her. In my business, I've found that 90% of all women would rather have another color. Sometimes choosing another color can get you a better quality rose, especially at Valentines day when reds are extremely expensive. One warning, order early so you florist has time to prepare them properly. Other colors actually have certain meanings, more on that later.

  • "You have to order roses." - Originality holds a lot of value in the realm of romance. Many women have a favorite flower which would warm their hearts upon receipt.

  • "Roses, or other flowers for that matter, aren't worth the money because they only last a day." - With proper treatment at the shop and in your home, flowers should last between three days and two weeks, depending on the type. Consult your florist to find out which varieties of flowers last the longest.

  • "We've been married for X years. She knows I love her. I don't need to get her anything!" - WRONG! I'll just refer you to your pastor on that one . . .
Some friendly suggestions
  • Order early, order early, order early! You're guaranteed a wider selection and you avoid the extra fees for rush delivery

  • Send her flowers on Friday or Saturday so she gets them early. If your Valentine works outside the home, take advantage of the fact that she will be able to display them at her work and get all that extra attention. (For some reason, we ladies like to - well - show off our Valentines a little bit.)

  • Combine her favorite flowers with a few roses (maybe even a symbolic number of roses.) This conveys that you are not only covering the Valentines basics, but you went that extra mile to make her arrangement personal.

  • The roses that are most fragrant tend to open more quickly, and will last as long as other flowers if they're cared for properly.

  • Think of something, (anything!) personal to write on her card so it doesn't sound like it came from your florist's catalogue of stock messages. She'll appreciate anything that lets her know it came from you.
A few warnings
  • One flower is better than six. Consider it the new math, but more is not necessarily better. Ladies generally interpret six roses as conveying that you didn't think enough of her to go for the full dozen. Or worse yet, that you had too many Valentines to buy for, and she didn't make the "dozen" list. One is romantic. A dozen is standard. Six is cheap.

  • There is no way that black roses are a positive purchase. I don't care if black is her favorite color, that law does not translate to flowers. (For those of you thinking I'm joking, there actually is such a thing as a black rose - I don't carry them in my shop.)

  • If you do order late (but there's no excuse), have a clever reason to explain why you could not get what you wanted. She will not appreciate knowing that you procrastinated and the "florist didn't have what I wanted to get you . . ." Rather than putting yourself in a position to be tempted to lie, just order early.
Color meanings
A rose is a rose is a rose, but colors say something too. She may not know what the colors mean either, so it wouldn't hurt to include these ideas in her card.
  • White: reverence, purity, "You're heavenly"

  • Red: respect, courage, passionate love, "I love you"

  • Red and white together: unity

  • Pink: grace, gentility, "sweetheart"

  • Pale pink: admiration, sympathy

  • Dark pink: gratitude

  • Yellow: joy, gladness, friendship, freedom

  • Coral and orange: enthusiasm, desire

  • Red and yellow together: happiness

  • Pale colors (in general): sociability, friendship
Try some of these little known rose colors if you want to be really original:
  • Leonidius: Cream colored with a coffee colored inside

  • Sterling/Lavende: Purple or lavender colored

  • Royal Massai: Cranberry Red

If you take away one idea from this article . . . OK two ideas . . . let it be
  • Order early and

  • Make it personal

I know this takes more effort, but serving one another generally does. So take a few extra moments to assure that your Valentine has no doubt how you feel about her.


Christina Altoft can be reached at Bergeron's Flowers and Gifts, (800)854-2265.