Share Valentine’s Day joy with flowers
Valentine’s Day has an interesting history before becoming the holiday as we know it today.
In Greek and Roman mythology, Cupid represented the god of desire, love, eros, attraction and affection. The ancient Romans celebrated Lupercalia on Feb. 15, which is believed to be associated with love and fertility, while the Greeks observed a mid-February celebration of the marriage between Zeus and Hera.
The Catholic Church, seeking to replace the banned Lupercalia, added Saint Valentine’s Day as a feast day around 500 CE (Current Era) to honor at least one or two martyrs named Valentine. It was named St. Valentine’s Day by Pope Gelasius, and Feb. 14 became the designated date of commemoration.
The St. Valentine most associated with love and romance was a Roman priest who performed weddings for soldiers, who were forbidden to marry as they would not be strong warriors. The priest wore a Cupid ring so soldiers would recognize him. The feast day was removed from the Church calendar in 1969 because of a lack of reliable information on St. Valentine, but the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day continues.
Since the mid-19th century, the retail industry has supported Valentine’s Day as a day to express one’s love and affection through purchases of flowers, cards and candy.
When considering the purchase of flowers for your Valentine, roses, especially red roses, are probably the flower most often associated with Valentine’s Day. The red rose represents passion and love. Because long-stem roses sell at a premium price for Valentine’s Day, make your selection carefully.
When purchasing roses, inspect each stem. Stems should be firm, and the flowers should be slightly opened, as the petals will open over the coming days. While most stems are stripped of their thorns, handle the stems carefully as stray thorns may be present.
The rose blooms may have two or three tough-looking petals on the outside of the flower; these petals are the guard petals, and their toughness protects the soft petals on the inside. These petals may be plucked or kept in place. The roses may or may not have fragrance, as fragrance has been bred out of most rose varieties.
Avoid purchasing roses whose flower heads are limp with petals that are separating from the flower head, leaves that are separating from the stems, brown petals or leaves, and whose water is cloudy and malodorous.
Roses purchased in a vase arrangement should have firm stems and slightly open blooms; the greens and filler should be fresh in color and not brown or dry. The vase water should be clear.
After purchasing a bouquet, cut the stems diagonally to increase the surface area for water uptake into the bloom. The vase water level should cover halfway up the rose stems. Remove leaves that would be below the surface of the vase water. Change the water every or every other day to keep the blooms fresh. Floral food may be used, if desired. Place roses away from cold drafts and hot forced air heat. Expect roses to last about seven days.
If roses are not an option due to price or availability, look for varieties of cut flowers, such as carnations, daisies, tulips or a mix of flowers and greens. Inspect the blooms for freshness and stems for rigidity; stems should have few leaves, which should not be withered. Petals should be intact to the flower head. Blooms should look fresh and fragrant. Treat these bouquets the same as rose bouquets to maintain their freshness.
Valentine’s Day is a time-honored way to show one’s romantic love. Follow these steps to keep your Valentine’s Day bouquets looking fresh and exciting, extending the romance throughout the cold winter days.
If you have questions about caring for cut flowers, contact the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Butler County’s Garden Hotline at 724-287 4761, ext. 7, or email the Master Gardeners at butlermg@psu.edu.
Lisa Marie Bernardo is a Penn State Extension Butler County Master Gardener.
