With Valentines Day just one day away; it may be a good idea to quickly get educated on the message you are sharing with that bundle of fragrant florals before you say something you don’t mean on February 14th!

No shocker here; the most popular flower to give to your sweetie on Love Day is the red rose (Rosa). “The most popular choice for the season. Red roses mean “I LOVE YOU.”  CNN reported that 51 percent of people buy red roses for Valentine’s Day. If you want to be classic, but still unique, you don’t have to do the color red. There are over 150 different varieties of roses.

Carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus) have cheerful blooms they are large and very affordable. They symbolize fascination, making them a great pick for a relationship in its early stages. This is probably the reason they are right behind roses in popularity. Carnations also have a multitude of colors to choose, they also last up to three weeks after cut.  The pink carnation has been associated with a woman’s love.

Gerbera Daisies (Transvaal daisy) look like a single flower, but actually consist of a number of small individual flowers. They symbolize innocence, loyalty, love and purity.  The large flower heads, which are available in many different colors, are a favorite to receive.

Tulips (Tulipa) stand for perfect love. They are one of the most identifiable and popular flowers in the world, they are a great Valentine’s Day pick because they are affordable and classic. Tulips continue to flourish in water and last longer than most other flowers in a vase.

Oriental Lilies (Lilium) can be pink, white, orange or red. They stand for beauty, class and style. These flowers are expensive, dramatic and sophisticated, they are perfect for an elegant recipient. They have stunning blooms and beautiful fragrance.

Orchids (Orchidaceae) are a more daring pick for Valentine’s Day. These are more rare blossoms and they symbolize love, beauty, luxury and strength.

The blossoms of a sunflower represent warmth and happiness. They mean loyalty, and are available all year around. It is a favorite flower for Valentine’s Day because of its beauty.

Gardenias (Gardenia jasminoides) are elegant flowers. They mean purity and joy and deep love. If a man is buying these for a woman they probably have a long history together. They are pricey and are sold as single blossoms; they will definitely make a statement on the special day.

If you want to be totally unique and Nebraska-like you could give your Valentine the state flower, a goldenrod (Solidago)! The Goldenrod was instituted as the Nebraska state flower in 1895 to “foster a feeling of pride in our state, and stimulate an interest in the history and traditions of the commonwealth.” How ROMANTIC!

We wish you all a very happy Valentines Day! Just don’t forget the FLOWERS!