A Stroll Through the Garden: Valentine's Day flowers
When I was at the pool last week I asked my friends if they had any special Valentine's flowers. The pool wasn’t the only place where I asked the question. I asked the administrator for Ashland Plant Enthusiasts on Facebook to make a little post inquiring about people’s favorite Valentine’s flower. I got some interesting responses and enjoyed all of the answers.
On Valentine’s Day I went for a stroll through Kingwood Center Gardens. I have found that flowers given to my wife on Valentine's Day lift both of our spirits. Her smile does touch my heart, and I feel that I have done something worthwhile.
Saint Valentine was a real person, but over the millennia the details of his life, background and accomplishments are muddled in centuries of interpretations. There are many origin stories of St. Valentine, but the most detailed account says that he was a physician-turned-priest who lived in Rome in the third century, during the reign of Claudius Gothicus (Claudius II). Claudius II was a cruel emperor who outlawed marriage as he believed it interfered with military strength. This St. Valentine performed secret marriages and was imprisoned for doing so. After some time, he befriended the jailer’s daughter, Julia, whom he tutored. Valentine was urged to renounce his faith but refused and was sentenced to death. Before his execution, he crushed violet petals to make purple ink and wrote to Julia. He signed it, “From your Valentine.” Thus marked the mystical origin of the first Valentine’s Day card. Valentine was martyred on Feb. 14, 270 A.D. The crushed petals of the flower were probably African violets and the first form of flowers given.
Back to my informal survey about favorite Valentine's flowers. I got many answers, but the best answer may have been any flower that was given in love by someone who was focused on pleasing me.
One of my Facebook friends wrote a poem for the occasion about how she liked flowers:
Some days I feel I like them fresh,Some days I like them pressed,Some days I like them wild,When it comes to flowersI’m like a child,They make me giddy and dance about,When it comes to flowersI will take any and never pout.
Statistics from 2020 show Valentine's Day shoppers spent $5.8 billion on jewelry, $4.3 billion on dining out, $2.4 billion on candy, and $2.3 billion on flowers. Of all the $2.3 billion spent on flowers, 69% were red roses. Only 45% selected other mixed flowers and plants. This came to 37% of the consumers doing something for Valentine's Day will include flowers as a part of what they do for their spouse, girlfriend, etc. This means to me that flowers are a very real presence in all of our minds as for gifts to our loved ones.
The results that you have waited for are 11 votes for roses, seven votes for lilies, six carnations, two orchids, two baby’s breath, nasturtiums, bleeding hearts, cyclamen, hydrangeas, tulips, hyacinths, lilacs, heart shaped cactus, trees for the landscape, apple tree, daffodils, daisies, mock orange, ferns, cosmos, zinnias and peonies. So in our loose survey we found out that roses had the most votes with 11. I guess this goes along with what we probably already know — that the queen of the garden are roses, at least for Valentine’s Day.
On my stroll through Kingwood Garden I did not see anything in bloom except in the greenhouse. The greenhouse had a great deal in bloom. I saw orchids, a variety of cactus and succulents, shrimp plant, bromeliads, and a pineapple. I talked with the head gardener about what was in bloom, and she reported some snowdrops only.
Hope you have a great stroll through your garden either indoors or out. If you have any challenges, drop an email to me at ericlarson546@yahoo.com. I shall do the best I can to help. Thank you for your participation in our column.
Eric Larson of Jeromesville is a veteran landscaper and gardening enthusiast and a founding board member of the Ohio Chapter of Association of Professional Landscape Designers.
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: What are your favorite Valentine's Day flowers?
