09:55 - 22 February 2010
With Valentine’s Day looming in February think twice before you invest in huge floral bouquets for your loved ones. It may be the perfect way to mark this romantic date in the diary, but there are other, longer lasting ways to show someone you care. Consider buying a special plant, a fabulous rose bush or even a beautiful tree or shrub to mark the occasion instead. Choose something that looks stunning in February or a plant that means something to you or the recipient. Alternatively look to The Language of Flowers for ideas. If you can find a copy of this delightful little book, that in itself would make a lovely gift for a plant or flower lover. In its lists of wild and garden flowers it explains the message portrayed by the flowers themselves and lists many that are associated with love including Forget me Not (true love), Gorse (enduring affection), Heliotrope (Devotion) and red Tulips (declaration of love). So it is well worth consulting the book before choosing flowers for a loved one. Some flowers, according to the Language of Flowers, have quite opposite meanings. Be wary of giving lobelia (malevolence), pink larkspur (fickleness) and yellow carnations (disdain), especially if the recipient is familiar with or has a copy of The Language of Flowers.
There are many wonderful other plants that are associated with love.
Roses were sacred to the Goddess of Love Venus and are still associated with love. Instead of forking out for a bunch of red roses, invest in a rose bush that will grow, flower and thrive for years on end. Choose red roses for love, good old-fashioned red varieties to plant would be: Rosa ‘Charles de Mills’ and Rosa ‘Rosarie de l’Hay’, but there are many others.
Shrubs such as myrtle are considered to be associated with love and marriage; it is also a delightful and scented garden plant. Choose Myrtus communis, which has deeply fragrant flowers from mid summer to autumn as well as aromatic leaves, it was revered by Venus and planted around her temples.
Herbs play a major part in love spells and symbolism. Lemon balm is said to be an aphrodisiac and to ‘bring love’. Basil, coriander, juniper and lavender were also associated with love magic and lovers. Buy plants or packets of seeds as an alternative gift for a garden lover on Valentine’s Day. Or make them a herb planter or a herb bed in the garden as a gift, where they can sow and grow herbs.
Perennials such as violets are a wonderful winter flowering plant and a perfect gift for a loved one; follow the lead of Napoleon, who gave these flowers to his empress Josephine as a symbol of his love.
