Valentine’s Day is a celebration of relationships and loved ones, from couples to friendships. Many people show their love with gifts, which are normally a combination of candy, stuffed animals, jewelry or flowers. 

Flowers have been used as gifts since ancient times, but even then, they were also used in religious rituals, mythology and politics. Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt associated flowers with their gods and used them in ceremonial offerings. 

Romans connected roses to Cupid, their god of love, desire and attraction, so roses were used to propose. Similarly, Greeks gave roses to symbolize divinity, “goddesses on Earth.”

Later, in the Victorian era, flowers were used to convey feelings that were too taboo to express due to societal norms. They further established distinct meanings and messages behind each flower in a bouquet. 

Now, flowers are common gifts due to their beauty, but other than red roses, their meanings are often lost on many. Click around to learn more about the language of flowers.

Many stores around town offer a wide selection of flowers, from arrangements to potted plants to lone flowers. Grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Hy-Vee have floral departments, while floral shops like Every Bloomin’ Thing and Flowerama are entirely dedicated to the craft. Independent florists like Beno’s Flowers and Gifts offer high-quality hand-made arrangements.

Floral shops can deliver arrangements, curate gift baskets and provide flowers for big events. Explore the different florists in the Iowa City area to find the perfect arrangement for any occasion.

Sometimes, a handmade bouquet can be cheaper and it adds a personal touch to any gift. It’s not too hard to make a simple bouquet: it only requires some flowers, shears, string and paper. Those tools can even be substituted for more common materials, like scissors, rubber bands, newspapers, parchment paper, etc.

After buying or receiving flowers, there are only a few steps required to make them last as long as possible. 

Before putting them in a vase with water, cut the stems one to two inches shorter and remove the lower foliage that would fall below the water line. Place the vase away from the sun in a cool area. When the water becomes cloudy or muddled, replace it entirely with fresh water. 

Many bouquets come with a packet of “flower food,” which is added to the water in the vase in order to nourish the flowers, fight bacteria and overall make the flowers last longer. Instructions on how much to add are on the packet.

Methods like drying or pressing can preserve the flowers even longer. Flowers can be dried in the microwave, oven or by simply hanging them upside down. Flower heads or individual petals can be pressed using parchment paper in between the pages of a book.