Valentine’s Day 2010 Trends


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

TREND: Creating a destination with flowers


For those who, given the economy, may not be able to go away for the night or weekend, florists can play an important role in helping romantics be creative. If you can’t actually go to a desired destination, why not create it at home?

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.

Beach 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.
* Recreate a Hawaiian honeymoon complete with long-lasting tropical flowers and a lei to wear. Picture your Valentine wearing a gorgeous orchid lei when it's sub-zero outside.
* Ask us as a 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, ranunculus 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.
* 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.

Celebrate the Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year begins on February 14, and 2010 is the year of the tiger. Ring in the New Year by sending your valentine:

* Orange roses in a red vase
* A red vase filled with mokara orchids

Other Exciting Destinations

* Conjure up the charm of the South Pacific with a beautifully designed arrangement with an Asian flair.
* Orchids and other fragile blooms can remind couples of rainforest getaways.
* An assortment of flowers from the garden in a bouquet conjures the feeling of a stroll through a country garden.
* Experience a trip to Japan with an Ikebana floral design of several stems of orchids or Fuji Chrysanthemums. Add a Japanese flower arranging kit and book along with some wonderful teas.
* Go for the gold with a bouquet of green spider chrysanthemums, green hypericum berries and green aspidistra leaves, just like the bouquets for the Winter Olympics medalists.

Special Moments

* Recreate the love you shared on your wedding day by featuring some blooms from her bridal bouquet.
* Recreate the magic of the proposal or first date with flowers.
* Send a Spring or Summer Sunshine bouquet to say you’re looking forward to spending time in warmer weather together or you’re looking forward to gardening together.
* Instead of recreating a memory, why not send a bouquet that evokes the charm of a place you dream of going to some day with your loved one.

Simply Sweet Staycations

* Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz” said, "There is no place like home.” Staying at home can be the “warm and fuzzy” choice for many. Add some lovely flowers in a favorite vase, sprinkle some rose petals, and lay a single rose on the pillow. Be creative and make staying at home fun.
* Make a flower trail throughout your house leading to a bubble bath sprinkled with rose petals.

TREND: Popular Flowers, Colors & Designs


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

* Colored roses other than red are popular. Ask your florist for some unusual varieties that can really make an impression; there are so many fabulous choices that will impress your Valentine with your creativity: orange roses are hotter than hot; peach roses; lavender roses; and pastel roses.
* Orchids: dendrobium orchids; cymbidium orchids; and vanda orchids in shades of blue and purple; stems of green cymbidiums evoke an eco-friendly feel
* Tulips are a great choice, and there are great colors available
* Gerbera daisies in hot pinks and oranges paired with a citrus green foliage
* Alstroemeria
* Callas or miniature callas
* Chrysanthemums
* Carnations
* Gardenias
* Lilies
* Hydrangea
* Waxflowers

Want to do something different?

* Amaryllis stems in geometric glass containers weighted with river rocks
* Compact flower arrangements in heirloom containers
* Floral designs in monogrammed containers
* Tropical flowers, like protea, arranged with exotic foliage and bamboo accents
* A cactus garden
* Small peace lily plant
* Anemones
* Freesia
* Ranunculus

On a TIGHT BUDGET? There are lots of wonderful flower options for consumers on a budget:

* Ask us for our specials in your price range, and ask about the price of an earlier delivery.
* Consider sending a few stems of something wonderful like roses, tulips or lilies. Volume isn't everything. We can make a few stems look romantic and lovely.
* Mixed bouquet of brightly-colored flowers
* Carnations are a great endearing flower full of texture. The bang for your buck is just great, and the vase life is quite long when cared for properly.
* Tulips are a tremendous value flower
* A bud vase with six, three or even a single rose
* Consider flowers in colors other than red, such as peach, orange, hot pink or chartreuse green
* Pompons or chrysanthemums are long lasting. Consider a bunch of green Fuji Mums or a bunch of Kermit Pompons. The chartreuse green is a huge attention getter!
* Stargazer lilies or other lilies
* Alstroemeria
* Gerbera daisies
* Blooming plants, such as a red or pink cyclamen, daffodil plant, or a tulip plant

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

* We always think of red for Valentine's Day but many other combinations can say “I Love You.” Hot pink and orange for a fresh young look. Purple is fun in either a monochromatic combination or mixed with red, very luscious. Chartreuse and pink is sweet yet crisp. Orange and red is a powerful, masculine combination.
* Monobotanical design (all one type of flowers)
* Monochromatic design (flowers all in the same color family)
* Reds, burgundies and browns
* Hot pink, purples and browns
* Monochromatic reds in various textures
* Greens mixed with chocolate browns or stunning pinks
* Greens and purples
* Complementary colors cause excitement, such as lavender paired with yellow or blues coupled with oranges
* Green, lavender and peach form an upscale color combination
* Rich purples and lavenders mixed with red

TREND: Send Flowers to Men

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

* Red Ginger and red anthuriums pair wonderfully together
* Bromeliads have a sense of “cool” that is comfortable for any man to receive
* A flowering plant, such as red tulips or an azalea
* A bright and bold tropical design
* Orange or green roses
* Ivy Topiary
* Herb Topiary for the guy who loves to cook
* Pincushion protea in a clear glass container with stones in the bottom — men love this kind of arrangement.
* Dish garden
* Orchid plant
* A large, snack basket filled with his favorite flavor of energy drink, nuts, candies or chips. To top it off, add a bud vase with a single red rose on the outside decoration to add Valentine's Day flair.
* Terrariums. The endless possibilities of unusually shaped glass containers also make great gifts for men.
* Bright, bold colors (not just red) of any type of flower designed in a more architectural styling.
* Any “going green” plant can be created with tremendous textural appeal with upgrades on the container and plant decor.

TREND: Early Delivery

Since Valentine's Day falls on the Sunday of President's Day Weekend this year, you may want to keep in mind these considerations when ordering Valentine's Day flowers:

* It’s so much “fun” to get flowers at the office. Every person in the office hopes the flowers are for them! Why not send them the week prior? Everyone will know how much your loved one is LOVED for the whole week!
* The experience of receiving flowers at work is exciting. Just because Valentine's Day is on a Sunday doesn't mean that you can't be a hero and have your flowers sent to your Valentine on the job. Just do it on Thursday or Friday before Valentine’s Day with a note such as, “Looking forward to a romantic weekend” or “I couldn't wait to say I Love You.” Also, it’s President’s Day Weekend, which may involve businesses closing early on Friday, therefore Thursday could be a better day to send your Valentine flowers.

* Make sure to let us know when your Valentine will be at work or at home to receive your flowers.


Ask us to make something special for your sweetheart!