Valentine's Day sees the sales of flowers, predominately roses, exceed ten million in one day. It is estimated that over one million British men and women spent in excess of thirty million pounds on Valentine flowers. Men purchase the majority, however, it is becoming increasingly popular for women to buy and send flowers to men. Strong vibrant colours from exotics and sculptured sturdy shapes, with berries and foliage, as well as roses, are becoming ever more popular for women to purchase and send to men.

Many people use Valentines flowers to send hidden meanings and messages. The tradition of this dates back to Victorian times when suitors would use flowers to send coded messages to their lovers. Roses are undoubtedly the most popular choice of flower to send on Valentine's Day, folklore says that sending ten roses means ‘you are perfect', a dozen roses sent ‘be mine' and for those who push the boat out and buy two dozen roses are saying ‘forever yours'. It is also believed by many that roses sent without their thorns and leaves say ‘there is nothing to hope or fear' while a rose given with its thorns removed, but still with its leaves say ‘I am no longer afraid to reveal my feelings; I live in hope.'

The colour of the roses sent also has hidden meanings, chose carefully to send the right message! Red roses are a sign of true love, moss rose means that you love someone from afar, purple roses represent everlasting love, beware sending yellow roses as they give the message that you are jealous while white roses say ‘I love you not'!

Roses are renowned for the sensuality of their silken petals, their fragrance heightens ‘falling in love'. Scientific researches have begun to discover that roses have specific chemicals which give us a happy feeling and many aromatherapists use rose oil to reduce stress and tension.

People do send flowers other than roses on Valentines Day. There are a variety of spring flowers which also come in various shades of reds and pinks if the traditional Valentine's colours are to be adhered to, however, it has recently become very trendy to send huge bouquets of spring flowers with a variety of vibrant colours or a posy of highly scented seasonal flowers including narcissus, lilac and lily-of-the-valley.

For the more adventurous an antirrhinum shaped like a giant love-heart is available in white, pink and lime green and a ‘saucy' glossy lip-stick red coloured . The flower surrounds a phallic shaped creamy coloured beacon and should certainly let your Valentine exactly how you are feeling!

The exotic and rarely seen orchids such as Oncidium with a mass of small butterfly shaped flowers or Paphiopedilum, the slipper orchid, have become the most glamorous flowers for celebrities to be seen giving and receiving this season. Other exotics and tropical flowers, Bird of Paradise with its unmistakable large blue and orange flowers or the tall, highly perfumed Tuberose make a real statement of individualism and uniqueness sent as Valentine's flowers.