Valentines Day Flower Trends

The Society of American Florists (SAF) asked some of the country’s top floral design experts to describe what’s in style this Valentine’s Day from popular flowers and cool color combinations to trendy design styles and ordering advice. Here is a compilation of their Valentine's Day flower trends and ordering tips:

TRENDS: Creating a destination with the help of flowers

Flowers can take you places and help you relive fond, romantic memories - whether it be reminiscing about a Caribbean honeymoon, creating a relaxing spa retreat feel, or reliving a wine country getaway flowers can set the stage for a romantic evening in.

Caribbean honeymoon.

• Tropical flowers, such as Birds of Paradise, anthurium, ginger, or orchids) with an accent of fresh fruit and foliages
• A simple collection of orchids in a vase
• Bells of Ireland and delphinium. The cool greens and blues will conjure up the memories of the beautiful Caribbean.
• Ask your florist to add colored sand and seashells in bouquets or vases to really create the mood!

European vacation

• Richly colored flowers in purples, reds and blues
• Hand-tied bouquet of all accent flowers and a couple of roses
• Textural hand-tied bouquets embellished with decorative beads and wires with colorful wraps
• A loose arrangement of garden-style flowers such as tulips, hydrangeas, ranaunculus and roses in a clear glass vase or decorative container.
• An arrangement that resembles the French countryside: Fresh herbs and wild flowers like heather, daisies, delphinium and miniature roses would be pretty and romantic.
• A French Garden of bright-hued blooming plants arranged in a classic wicker basket
• European dish garden mixture of flowering or green plants and fresh flowers.

Spa Weekend

• Aromatic flowers like freesia, stock and sweet peas to sooth the senses.
• An arrangement of relaxing blues, lavenders and greens with fresh eucalyptus and soft foliage and some select bath products.
• Several small blue and green arrangements to place in the bathroom or bedroom.
• All white arrangement with sea glass vases or frosted aquamarine accents
• A fragrant selection of purple freesia in a clear cylinder with pale pink petals floating in the vase. The soft scent of freesia combined with the soothing color palette will embrace your sweetheart with a sense of calm.
• Monobotanic bouquet of blue iris in a clear glass vase with sea glass or shells clustered together in the bottom of the vase
• A simple glass vase filled with callas or white Casablanca lilies and cool blue glass gems inside the vase.

Wine Country Getaway

• A few beautiful roses or lilies arranged in an empty wine bottle shared on a past date. She’ll love the sentimentality.
• Deep reds (roses, carnations and soft greens). Add accents of vines, mosses and a bottle of wine.
• Grapevine or wreath around the design on the base or in and around, some fruit and a bottle of wine or a gift certificate to a wine shop.
• Grapes, sunflowers, grasses-outdoorsy and lots of yellow/peach/olive greens
• Burgundy flowers with fresh grapes and Brie cheese in a large basket
• Include a bottle of wine or fresh fruit and grapes with deep wine colored roses
• Bold collection of vibrant purple anemones or alstroemeria, green hydrangea, hypericum and red roses. This strong combination of color and texture will evoke the feeling of a stroll in the vineyards.
• Sunflowers and grapes.
• Rich royal-colored floral bouquet consisting of a mixture of textural materials such as purple tulips, magenta stock, green hydrangea and lavender roses tied with natural raffia. The design may include clusters of grapes.

Trends: Design Styles, Color, Rose Alternatives

Red roses symbolize passionate love and are the top gift for Valentine’s Day. OTHER POPULAR VALENTINE’S DAY FLOWERS this year will be:

• Tulips are elegant
• Gerbera daisies are fun and festive
• Marguerite daisies are youthful
• Lilies are classic
• Mokara orchids are trendy
• Callas
• Iris
• Ranunculus
• Hydrangea
• Bells of Ireland
• Orchids (cymbidium, dendrobium, phalaenopsis, mokara)
• Miniature and standard carnations

Want to do something different?

• Sprinkle rose petals in a candlelit bath or create a pathway of roses to someplace special, as the front door to the dining room table where the gift of flowers are.

On a Tight Budget? There are lots of wonderful flower options for consumers on a budget:

• Shorter-stem roses
• Six or seven roses in a smaller vase or container
• A single rose is just as romantic when included with a touching message.
• Mixed bouquet of spring flowers
• Hand-tied bouquet with mixed flowers and colors
• A petite bud vase with a few blooms or single bloom
• Simple bouquet of one type of flower such as tulips, Gerbera daisies, lilies, carnations or mini carnations
• A single gorgeous orchid blooms floating in clear glass.
• A few stems of beautiful orchids
• Potted flowering plants are a great choice. Primrose and African Violets are two popular choices.

For your sweetheart who loves NEW TRENDS and POPULAR DESIGN STYLES, ask your florist to create a bouquet/arrangement of:

• Mokara orchids. They are long lasting, exotic and trendy with the 30-something generation.
• Colored roses other than red are growing in popularity, such as pink, peach, yellow, orange and hot pink.
  
• Try mixing hot pink and orange for a fresh Valentine look.
• Red, orange and hot pink roses or other blossoms. This combination is sensual and dynamite.
• Monobotanical design (one type of flower)
• Monochromatic design (flowers all in the same color family)
• Orchids are exotic and luxurious. Very elegant and stylish. Cymbidium, dendrobium, oncidium, mokara and phalaenopsis are available as cut flowers and plants.
• Hydrangea and gerberas featuring a contemporary twist of sisal and/or beaded wire. This trendy combination creates a contemporary feel with a vintage touch.
• A low bowl arrangement of hot pink and lime green flowers.
• Mokara orchids. They are long lasting, exotic and trendy with the 30-something generation.

Flowers come in so many beautiful colors. Some POPULAR COLOR TRENDS AND COLOR COMBINATIONS this year include:

• Red combined with orange
• Shades of pink and violet
• Raspberry pinks with oranges and deep purples; accent with lime green
• Shades of plum, pinks and magentas
• Soft shades of pink and lavender accented with the brighter greens
• Light to dark pink shades accented with the brighter greens
• Red and hot pink
• All green
• White
• Purples and reds
• Mango

MEN LOVE FLOWERS and plants! For the man in your life, consider sending:

• One stem of orange orchids inside a cylinder vase. It does not take up much space, but has quite a “wow” factor.
  Bright orange or red flowers with lime green accents
• Vase of red, yellow, orange or bi-colored roses
• Tropical flowers such as anthuriums, proteas and birds of paradise are great choices for men. Combine with dramatic foliages, and you've got a winner.
• Bromeliads
  
• Bonsai
• Tulip plants
• Jonquil plants
• Orchid plants

Article Provided by AboutFlowers.com

posted: January 21st, 2010