by Lindsey May Stone

Created on: September 05, 2008

There is nothing more depressing than watching a whole herd of roses die together silently in a vase. When we place an over-priced, over-ripe bouquet to our lover's trusting hands, what is the message that we are really sending? Sure the initial reaction is, "Someone loves me! Someone actually loves me!"

Rightly so. Someone loves you enough to give you a charade. A note to the wise: All bouquets die a terrible death and are buried in a mass grave. Skip the bouquet and either buy a live plant or a single rose.

Think about it...a bouquet says, "I think our relationship is beautiful but all things come to a tragic, brown-petaled end-including the love we now share (and I am afraid that if I don't buy you a bundled wad of blossoms, you will leave me)."

But imagine the joy-the excitement-of finding a lemon tree right next to the living room window...what is this going to say? Or a miniature rose bush snuggled next to the lamp by her bed? Maybe a double stem Kaleidoscope Orchid on the kitchen table? Live plants have a longer shelf life and send a more positive, upbeat message about the love you feel for your significant other. Plants will eventually become like family members in your home and make an otherwise quiet corner into a shrine. With a live plant you are more likely to be saying, "I believe in this thing called love-our love-and I want it to flourish and grow. In fact, if you give it water and sunshine, and if I give it supplements and an occasional trip to the Bahamas, there is no telling how amazing this relationship could be...!"

If cost is an issue, remember for a daisy-picking moment that you have been spending your greenbacks on dying flowers (for years)...with no return on investment. Let's run the figures. If you exchange two bouquets for one living plant this year, you have the cash you need to buy a living, breathing plant-and your loved one will look at it and think of you for years (depending on the watering arrangements) to come. If you are really strapped for cash, leave out the chocolates.

Should you still opt for a cut flower, make it a single, long-stemmed rose. The message is more personal. You are basically saying, "Honey, it is you that I love, and you alone. Let's press this rose together in a book and save it as a memory of this moment in our lives." No messy clean-up, no choked stems, no subliminal messages about a dying love. At all costs, avoid the bouquet. You don't want this year's chance at being the Valentine's Day hero to be hampered by a dying gift.

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