Last Updated on January 14, 2022 by Kimberly Crawford
Valentine’s day is the holiday dedicated to love and romance, and plenty of couples will choose flowers as a way to convey this message.
While the rose is a fantastic and classic choice, you may also want to add a few other flowers to the bouquet or just want to surprise your partner.
Check out these other beautiful flowers that are an excellent gift for this special day.
1. Peonies
The peony holds special significance mythologically and historically and is tied to different symbols and meanings. The most common include prosperity, romance, riches, compassion, honor, good fortune, and a happy marriage. You can also convey your bashfulness with a bouquet of these pink flowers while also telling your mate that they’re cute and charming.
Peonies are said to be named after the Greek god physician, Paeon, while others think it’s associated with the beautiful nymph called Paeonia. Both myths show that peonies are heralded for their medical usage, as their roots are said to cure over twenty diseases, including snake bite venom and epilepsy, as well as dull the pain associated with teething.
Peonies come from China and were planted in the Imperial Palace to bring luck.
2. Roses
Roses are the flower everyone associates with love and romance, but they also mean confidentiality and secrecy. Romans would hang them in banquet halls as a way to tell their guests to keep everything said within those walls a secret only amongst themselves. Their cultural significance started in Greece, where roses are thought to come from Adonis.
Be careful when you give your loved one roses because the color you pick when you send roses online matters. For example, a pink rose represents admiration, gratitude, and joy, while yellow means friendship. Stick to orange, red, and pink for your husband and wife, but don’t focus too much on the number of roses in the bouquet, because they mean “I love you.”
Roses come from all over the world and used to be England’s national flower.
3. Red Chrysanthemums
The chrysanthemum blooms in the fall and symbolizes beauty and joy that withstands difficulty or age in the modern era. Due to the early cultivation of the flower, it’s meaning has changed over time. Victorians would use chrysanthemums to show well-wishes and friendship, while in China, it was given to friends and family to represent good luck and fortune in the home.
In general, the chrysanthemum symbolizes fidelity, longevity, optimism, and joy, but the red color represents love and deep passion. Avoid yellow or purple chrysanthemums in your bouquet, as yellow represents sorrow and neglected love, and violet symbolizes a get well wish. Feel free to add a few white chrysanthemums, as they mean honesty and loyalty within a relationship.
Chrysanthemums come from China and are the official birth flower of November.
4. Matthiola Incana or Stocks
Thought to be named after Pierandrea Mattholia, an Italian doctor and botanist that cultivated these flowers for medical use, the stock has a strong scent thought to promote love and lust in humans. The Matthiola Incana has a long shelf life, so giving these flowers to a loved one will mean you wish for them to have a contented existence, a happy life, and lasting beauty.
Stocks bloom in late winter and early spring in places with mild winters and are actually considered to be more of a food item than a plant. You can put stocks in salads raw, and they taste pretty good with a bit of Italian dressing. The Matthiola Incana works perfectly with other flowers in a bouquet because their soft colors tend to make them blend into the background.
Stocks come from South Africa and the Mediterranean and come in purple, red, pink, and white.
5. Asters
Asters look similar to daisies but grow wild in nature with little attention or care and represent wisdom, faith, and love. The aster flower has its place in Greek mythology, where it’s thought that Astraea, a Greek goddess, made them with her tears. Aster also means star and represents Venus, which is the zodiac sign of the virgin and love in all forms.
Although purple asters are the most popular, they represent wisdom and royalty, which may not be appropriate as a Valentine’s day gift. Instead, choose pink and red asters to show your date your love and undying devotion to them. White asters are also appropriate as an accident to other florals because they are meant to convey innocence and purity.
Asters grow wild mostly in North America and are incredibly drought resistant.
6. Ranunculus
Buttercups or the ranunculus looks similar to a rose but are more ruffled and lack thorns on their stems. The ranunculus has a wide variety of meanings mostly associated with the color of the flower, but they generally represent attractiveness, charm, and radiance. When handing over a bouquet of these beauties, tell your spouse how you’re completely dazed by their charms.
There are over 10 colors the ranunculus can come in, but it’s better to stick with red, pink, or white to represent your love and passion for the individual. A Bloomingdale ranunculus, which comes in a variety of colors, can hold more than one meaning. Try to stay away from yellow or purple unless you want to convey they’re your friend or are going through a morning period.
The ranunculus is native to the Middle East but has its place in Native American legends.
7. Gerbera Daisy
One of the most impressive tropical plants, the gerbera daisy, comes in orange, yellow, pink, white, and red and is ranked as the 5th most popular commercial flower on the market. It isn’t hard to see why because giving your partner one of these flowers will represent innocence, purity, and beauty, as well as youthfulness and joy. These flowers are said to heal broken hearts.
To get the most bang for your buck, choose the pink or red gerbera daisy because of their association with love, passion, and admiration. You won’t go wrong with choosing yellow as well due to them symbolizing joy, vigor, and happiness. All colors don’t have a negative association, so if you’re unsure what to say with florals, the gerbera daisy is the right choice.
Gerbera daisies are native to South African, Asian, and African countries and are 7cm wide.
8. Daffodils
The daffodil is technically the 10-year anniversary flower and is said to give 12 months of good luck to anyone who receives them on Valentine’s Day. Daffodils are associated with the Greek myth of Narcissus, who drowned himself by trying to capture his reflection in a pool of water. Since daffodils bend down, it’s said that it’s Narcissus looking down into himself.
Although that seems like a gloomy flower to give to your spouse, they ultimately stand for new beginnings and a fresh start, which may be the right flower if you recently fought. Daffodils bloom around Chinese New Year, which makes them a symbol of prosperity, good luck, and fortune, but the rest of the world associates them with happiness, joy, and cheerfulness.
Daffodils come from Spain and Portugal and are the official birth flower for March.
9. Alstroemeria
Without a doubt an attention-grabbing flower, the alstroemeria or the Peruvian lily, represents devotion and friendship. Plenty of couples see their spouse as their best friend, and the alstroemeria perfectly conveys this meaning without the fear of accidentally downgrading your spouse into the friend zone. There are over 50 species of this flower, all with the same meaning.
White alstroemerias represent strength, love, purity, and support, while yellow tells your Valentine you think they’re vibrant and fun. If you want to go for a romantic twist to your bouquet, choose pink and red, as always, because they represent playfulness, romance, eternal love, and passion. Give a pink alstroemeria to your date to show your devotion.
Alstroemerias are native to Peru and have no scent, making them perfect for allergies.
10. Tulips
The most common meaning for tulips is for deep or perfect love, but because they’re one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, they also mean rebirth in many cultures. The perfect love meaning is tied to Persian and Turkish legend about Shirin and Farhad’s relationship, although their love does end in tragedy as most ancient stories seem to.
Red tulips have the deepest association with everlasting love, but pink tulips are perfect for your romantic partners as well due to their association with confidence and happiness. Purple tulips represent royalty, while yellow tulips are known to enhance cheerful thoughts. Don’t give your Valentine a white tulip if you’re on good terms because they are associated with forgiveness.
Tulips come from Central Asia, but the Dutch have adopted this flower as their own.
11. Orchids
The orchid is a commonly seen exotic flower that has over 20,000 species all over the world. The moth orchid is the most popular and likely gets its name from locals mistaking the flower for a group of moths. Due to the suggestive look of the flower and its namesake, orchids are associated with beauty, love, strength, luxury, elegance, fertility, and seduction.
The pink orchid is the traditional flowers couples give each other on their 14th and 25th anniversary, but you can add some white orchids in the mix to symbolize elegance and reverence. If you decide to give your friend flowers for Valentine’s day, choose yellow orchids because they symbolize eternal friendship, new beginnings, and accomplishment.
Orchids are found everywhere and rely on fungus to survive various climates.
12. Casa Blanca Lilies
Few know how expensive these lilies actually are in comparison to other lilies, but if you place one or more of these in a bouquet, you’re telling your spouse that you have a lot of money to throw around. You’re also sophisticated and radiate style, class, and beauty, which will radiate off on the receiver of this bouquet. Casa Blanca lilies also represent a celebration.
Casa Blanca lilies only come in pure white petals, with white often representing purity and grace. These florals have a powerful fragrance that lasts for around a week and are easy to dry after its blooming period is over. As another positive, these lilies look great in almost any home because they’re spotless, not streaky, and can work with any long vase or container.
Casa Blanca lilies come from the northern hemisphere and are one of 90 other genera.
13. Sunflower
The sunflower gets its name from its large, yellow petals and the blooms tend to turn themselves around to face the sun.
Due to the Greek myth of Clytie and Apollo, the sunflower represents loyalty and adorations, but in Chinese culture, this flower represents good fortune, long life, and vitality. Native Americans, however, see sunflowers as a symbol of the harvest.
Although sunflowers are given at the 3rd year wedding anniversary, plenty of couples will give their spouse a single sunflower during the summer as a gift to represent strength.
Sunflowers are also given to friends because of their yellow color. Some religions also view the sunflower as a representation of spiritual knowledge and the desire to find truth and light.
Sunflowers come from North America and are useful in food and medicine.
Related: 25+ Different Types Of Sunflowers
14. Carnations
Carnations come in almost any natural color you can think of but generally represent new love and fascination. The origins of the name come from Greek mythology, although there is some dispute about which God or Goddess gave the carnation it’s scientific label. After roses, carnations are the second most popular cut flower in the world.
A light or dark red carnation is the perfect gift for your Valentine because they represent admiration, affection, and love. Pink carnations symbolize gratitude, and white carnations are associated with purity and luck. Avoid yellow and purple cantations because yellow conveys rejection and disappointment, while purple is the French flower for mourning.
Carnations come from Eurasia and are the official birth flower for January.
15. Gardenias
The pure white, gorgeous gardenia is eye-catching and full of personality. They’re a symbol of joy, purity, and deep, old-fashioned love, although the true meaning of the flower is a reflection on the color rather than the blossom itself. While white gardenias represent new love, red petals symbolize respect, admiration, passion, and secret love between two people.
Giving gardenias to your Valentine is a big deal because you’re telling them you want to stay in their lives for a long time. On the other hand, gardenias also symbolize everything associated with the spiritual world, including pure attraction. This mystical flower has a strong association with the power of positive attraction and energy circulating our bodies.
Gardenias come from Asia and are a common sight at weddings.