The Valentine Bouquet: Love as an Aesthetic

A Valentine's Day bouquet should be as thoughtful as the card you select and unique as the sentiment your write in it.  Commercial bouquets for Valentine’s Day typically are the standard cellophane wrapped uniform dozen or two of fragrant less roses grouped with baby’s breath and simple greens that make one resent buying such a lack luster bouquet to celebrate the romance of the day.  Did you know many of these commercial grab and go super market bouquets or the arrangements offered on the 1-800 wire services have been cut more than a week before,  boxed out of water and shipped across continents, then trucked to a local commercial venues to be purchased by some love struck suitor who is simply trying to execute the traditional expected romantic gesture of giving red roses to their beloved. While the gesture is romantic,  these standard holiday bouquets are definitely not, and are often lack luster, uniform, and even sometimes a disappointment, when they fade only after a couple of days.  A friend’s husband asked me simply, “What is the difference between your bouquets and a Costco bouquet of roses besides quantity and price? “ The answer I gave him is that at  Costco or the supermarket one generally purchases uniform roses as describe above and not a unique creative expression conveyed through an artful aesthetic of sensory, unusual, fresh fragrant flowers that are locally grown.  Commercial bouquets generally do not speak of beauty, vitality, and most especially romance and love that beautiful fresh and locally grown flowers convey in their variety.

A Valentine bouquet should be a sumptuous and sensory gesture that conveys love and romance.  A Valentine bouquet should absolutely reflect the idea of romantic love--just as the lace and papery Valentine cards do or velvety hear-shape boxes of candy do to celebrate the sentiment. Giving locally grown seasonal flowers adorned in rich, textures of bold sultry ribbons will be as unique and unforgettable expression of your love.  Valentine flowers should be presented with an aesthetic of romance:  fresh, fragrant, rich in color and texture and artfully arranged with sumptuous satin ribbons and placed beautiful vessels or wrapped in beautiful cellphones and papers.   Most of my Valentine bouquets are inspire by the vintage Valentine’s cards my parents presented to me as gifts over the years, as the day of romance  is also my birthday. Inspired by these rich lacey and papery vintage cards, my Valentine’s bouquets try to emulate these beautiful cards in their rich color and textures  expressed in abundance  and variety of seasonal flowers including: tulips, anemones, ranunculus, lily of the valley, and even daffodils and narcissus.  I often include some greenhouse roses which are grown sustainably because  the rose will always be  the quintessential icon of love, event though  it is not abundant seasonal flower of  Northern California.  I do include  roses grown locally and sustainably in greenhouses and include bouquets with flowers grown in my cottage garden and on organic local flower farms.  Bouquets and Arrangements with unusual and seasonal flowers that are fragrant and colorful and adorned with sumptuous ribbons will convey romance and speak volumes to your beloved.