Tag Archives: valentines

What Does Your Valentine’s Bouquet Say About You?

Valentine's Day
Flowers, News, Tips, , , ,

Canada Blooms provides tips for selecting the right floral arrangement for your loved one

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, which means it’s time to start thinking about how you will celebrate with your special someone.

Flowers are one of the most romantic gifts that someone can receive, and one of the most popular gifts to give on Valentine’s Day. Whether you are looking to impress a new friend, let your crush know how you feel or spoil the person who has had your heart for years, flowers allow you to express your own unique message of love or friendship.

“Picking the right bouquet is all about personal preference and knowing what kind of message you want to send,” says Jennifer Harvey, professional florist. “There are so many different colours, fragrances and styles to choose from, creating the perfect bouquet for your partner or friend can be really exciting!”

The right bouquet is worth a thousand words, and experts at Canada Blooms have created a list of tips to help you pick the perfect flowers for your Valentine’s Day bouquet.

Here is the meaning behind popular flowers and what they say about you and your relationship:

Roses: For decades roses have been branded as a symbol of love and the most popular flower to give on Valentine’s Day. Roses send a romantic message and are used to symbolize passion and romance. Roses are the perfect gift to send to a long-time lover or significant other!

Calla Lily: Calla lilies are a refined flower, associated with elegance, beauty, purity and faith, and can symbolize the strength of a couple’s love. This is a fantastic gift for that first Valentine’s Day with your partner to show them the love and affection you have for your relationship!

Carnations: Carnations have been known to symbolize fascination and affection. Carnations ruffle-like design makes their appearance bold and feminine. This is a fantastic choice for those in new relationships or close friends because it sends a message of intrigue and admiration to your partner.

Tulips: Tulips possess a beautiful, simple appearance that can be customized with colour to best suit your partners’ personality. They convey a message of elegance, simplicity, and comfort and align with this year’s floral trends by creating a minimalistic and aesthetically pleasing appearance. Tulips are a great gift for a close friend or loved one that will be sure to brighten up their day!

Lilies: Lilies are beautiful, versatile and pair well with other flowers such as roses. They are remarkable flowers that have a breathtaking fragrance that will leave your partner feeling loved and comforted. Lilies are perfect if you don’t want to buy a bouquet full of roses  — by mixing lilies and roses you can create a great alterative to show both a message of love and passion, while still being playful and fun!

Assorted: An assorted bouquet can offer a message of care and affection and gives you the opportunity to incorporate different flowers to showcase your personality. Use multiple bright, vibrant colours to symbolize fun, excitement and hope, or utilize warm, neutral tones to show elegance, compassion and comfort. An assorted bouquet is the best way to impress a new date while still getting to know your partner and relationship!

Once you pick the right flowers, use this year’s floral trends to help you piece together the finishing touches of your bouquet. The current forecast for floral trends predicts that neutrals and warm tones will be all the rage this year.

Going beyond colour, minimalistic styling and strong floral fragrances are also predicted to be a popular trend this year.

“When picking the right arrangement for your partner, make sure you are catering to the message that you want to convey,” says Jennifer. “Keeping up-to-date on floral trends allows you to draw inspiration and incorporate personal taste to express your affection and create the perfect bouquet.”

Valentine’s Day is about showcasing your love and picking the right bouquet can help you express your emotions and affection to your loved one in a thoughtful and simplistic way.

Co-located with the National Home Show, Canada Blooms takes place March 13th to March 22nd, 2020, at the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto. For more information or for tickets, please visit canadablooms.com. Follow Canada Blooms on Twitter @CanadaBlooms and Like it on Facebook.

— By Courtney DeCaire, Enterprise Canada

 

Valentine Gifts That Are Outside of the Box

Valentine's Day
Flowers, News, , , ,

Mark and Ben Cullen Garden Tips

Let’s reflect together for a moment on the very popular tradition of giving long stem cut roses on Valentine’s Day.  We know that this is a crowd pleaser, but then, are you trying to please the crowd or your sweetheart?

Fact: Roses are exotic. They originated elsewhere.  Notwithstanding the native ‘wild rose of Alberta’, roses as we know them in the garden, originated in far reaching lands.  Give your Valentine a journey to another part of the world to see roses as neither of you have seen them before. England is the home of modern day rose breeding.  Go to the famous rose breeding grounds of the David Austen Rose garden near Coventry (www.davidaustenroses.com).  Tour the rose gardens of Hampton Court (www.hamptoncourt.org.uk/).  If the timing works, go to the annual Hampton Court Flower and Garden Show the first week of July.  It is the second largest exhibition of its’ kind in the world (the 1st is the Chelsea Flower Show in London, mid-May).

Keep in mind that you do not actually have to travel all that far to find great rose gardens. There is a fabulous collection of roses on the grounds of Rideau Hall in Ottawa where many of the winter hardy roses developed in Canada are on display for all to see (for free) and the Experimental Farm in Ottawa offers another colourful glimpse into rose breeding programs in Canada.

In Toronto there are some terrific rose gardens including Casa Loma (www.casaloma.org) and the formal gardens of High Park (free admission).

One more suggestion: while thinking of giving the ‘experience’ of long stem cut roses without necessarily giving a dozen of them, consider giving 2 passes to Canada Blooms in Toronto. This is the largest and by far the most impressive annual ‘garden event’ in the country.  There will be roses, to be sure.

The ‘cost’ of two tickets is $20 each but you can get an Early Bird discount online at www.canadablooms.com right now.

Give a couple of tickets to Canada’s premier flower and garden festival, a long stem red rose and maybe a dinner out. What could be a better Valentine’s Day gift?

Dates for Canada Blooms are Friday, March 8 to Sunday March 17.

For more information and to answer over 10,000 gardening questions, visit www.markcullen.com and sign up for Mark and Ben’s free monthly newsletter.

Show your loved ones how special they are this Valentine’s Day

sunflowers
Flowers, News, , , , ,

Canada Blooms offers a new spin on an old favourite
Valentine’s Day is nearly here, and with it comes the pressure of giving your special someone the perfect gift that tells them what they mean to you.

While Valentine’s Day is one of the most romantic days of the year, it can also be the most stressful; but don’t worry – finding the perfect gift that says “I love you” can be as simple as selecting the right flower.

“Flowers have been part of the Valentine’s Day tradition for as long as anyone can remember,” says Terry Caddo, General Manager of Canada Blooms. “While everyone knows that long-stemmed red roses mean love, there are so many other varieties of flowers that will show your loved ones how much you care. They will appreciate the unique Valentine’s gift.”

With that in mind, Canada Blooms has created a list of Valentine’s flowers and what each flower says about you and your relationship.

Red Tulips:When most people think of tulips they think of spring, but red tulips are considered a declaration of love. Gift your sweetheart with a bouquet of red tulips to show your love this year.

Daffodils: Daffodils symbolize new beginnings. This is the perfect flower to give at the start of a new relationship or friendship.

Orchids: These rare blossoms symbolize love, beauty, strength and luxury. Gifting someone an exotic orchid lets them know that you are a bold person who likes to take chances.

Sunflowers: These flowers represent warmth, happiness and loyalty. While most people associate sunflowers with summertime, they are available all year round and are the perfect gift for that special person who lights up your day.

Gerbera Daisies: Symbolizing beauty, innocence and cheerfulness, gerbera daisies are a great gift for anyone, including mom. They also have beautiful large flowering heads and ability to last longer than other cut flowers.
Visitors to Canada Blooms can purchase the ‘Garvinea Sweet’ series of gerberas that was named Canada Blooms plant of the year.

“Valentine’s Day is a special day to show your loved ones how much they mean to you,” says Caddo. “By thinking outside the box and breaking from the ordinary, gifting them with flowers that have a special meaning will ensure they know that they are worth the extra effort.”

Canada Blooms will be held from March 11 to 20, 2016, at the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto. For more information or for tickets, please visit canadablooms.com. Follow Canada Blooms on Twitter @CanadaBlooms and Like it on Facebook.

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