Valley florists share the gift of love

Roses are red, violets are blue, what do flowers mean to you?

With four days before Valentine’s Day, floral shops across Carson Valley are working to answer that question.

“Flowers are the gift of emotion, and roses are traditionally the symbol of love, that’s why they are a popular gift on Valentine’s Day,” said Lori Britton of A Wildflower in Gardnerville.

Floral shops have been preparing since at least January for one of their biggest days of the year by making sure there are a variety of flowers in stock to create tailored arrangements for the messages their customers want to convey.

“We try to make sure to get a variety of arrangements to convey those different messages,” said Deborah Rothchild of the Floral Apothecary in Minden. “One of the things we like to emphasize is, you’re not just sending flowers, you’re sending a message. It’s a giant exclamation be-hind a thought or statement that conveys the feelings of the giver to the receiver, so having different colors, textures and scents tailor the arrangements to those messages someone wants to express.”

Megan Jaramillo at Leah’s Perfect Rose in Gardnerville said Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to express not just love for someone, but ap-preciation and thoughtfulness too.

“Valentine’s Day is just one of those days where people like to express that and flowers are one way to do so,” she said. “It doesn’t neces-sarily have to be a partner or significant other, it can be a coworker, boss or employee and friends or family. People come in looking for ar-rangements for a variety of different people they have in their lives, and everyone likes getting flowers. It makes you feel good to be thought of.”

Each florist said they like to tailor their work to each customer’s needs and find out as much information as they can.

“One of the things we do is tailor everything for the individual,” said Rothchild. “We find out their favorite colors, flowers, what the giver’s message is they want to symbolize, and we try to make it special and personalized.”

That’s why many florists suggest pre-ordering to make sure the giver is able to customize their gifts, otherwise what is available in store might not be exactly what someone is looking for.

“I like to prepare by creating a recipe for a vision in advance and making sure I have everything I need on hand,” said April Haymond at Candle-light and Roses Florists in Minden. ‘I have premade arrangements and a selection of bouquets that are ready for anyone coming in, but it’s bet-ter to preorder because it’s more first pick and specifically tailored.”

Aside from flower arrangements, each floral shop has a variety of gifts to add more personality, thoughtfulness and expression, including chocolate boxes and chocolate dipped strawberries, baked goods, teddy bears, mugs, cards and more.

Valentine’s Day is a traditional time to express admiration to those special individuals and whether it’s with flowers or a home-made card, just reminding a loved one you’re thinking of them is a timeless gift.