by Stephanie Haefner

Created on: January 04, 2009

Purchasing Valentine's Day Flowers on a Budget

Every year, February 14th rolls around and men everywhere wonder what the heck to give their sweetie. Chocolate, candy, stuffed primate holding an "I Love You" banner? Don't get me wrong, chocolate and candy are fine choices...but didn't we all just make a New Year's resolution to lay off the hard stuff? And the stuffed animals? They may have been lovely gifts when we were five.

In today's economy, no one has money to just throw around. On a holiday like Valentine's Day, it's not the huge price tag that matters, it's the thoughtfulness and heart of the gift.

Flowers have long been a traditional Valentine's gift. What is more wonderful than the perfect bloom for your Valentine? Here are my tips for purchasing an unforgettable bouquet.

#1- Skip the roses. Roses are gorgeous and elegant and nothing says "You're my world" quite like a dozen long stem red beauties. BUT, save that for another time of year. As a floral designer who has worked many many Valentine's Days in retail flower shops, the roses that time of year are the worst quality. Growers manipulate their crops in preparation for the holiday resulting in smaller rose heads. In addition, they are harvested earlier that other times of the year and are held in refrigeration. The blooms you receive on Valentine's Day are smaller than other times of the year and are already old they day you bring them home. And let's not even start on price. Wholesalers charge flower shops nearly three times the amount- so don't go blaming the flower shops! They try their best to keep the costs as low as possible and don't make nearly what they do on roses the rest of the year. And they need to make that up somewhere. You'll get less extras with your rose bouquet- less greenery, less Babies Breath or other filler and cheaper ribbons. if you simply must do roses, pay the extra to have them arranged in a vase. Boxed roses are usually done up a day or even two ahead and sit with tiny water tubes on the ends of their stems. On Valentines Day they may sit in a van for hours then it may be even longer before your girl gets them home and into a vase. Roses need a lot of water and dehydrate extremely quickly Most times it's hard, even impossible, to revive them ocne they are wilted. And let's not forget the extras- fern and Babies Breath will not be in water tubes and will be crispy and dried out when you finally get them home.

#2- A few exotic flowers go a looooong way. Two or three calla

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