Valentine's Day Flowers: What to Give and How Many Roses

On Valentine's Day, 14 February, the most common gift in Lithuania is red roses, and for a partner or someone you love they are still the safest choice. Give an odd number: one, three, five, seven or more, because in Lithuania even numbers of flowers are associated with funerals. If red roses feel too predictable, pink or white roses, tulips, a bouquet of the flowers your partner actually likes, or a potted orchid all work well.

Red roses: a classic for a reason

The red rose has stood for love for a very long time, so on Valentine's Day nobody needs it explained.

Red roses suit a wife or husband, a long-term partner, or anyone you have already told how you feel. Deep red roses look more restrained and elegant, bright red ones more festive, but the message is the same.

If the relationship is very new, a large bouquet of red roses may say more than you mean. A single red rose, or softer colours, is often the better choice at that stage.

Alternatives to red roses

Not everyone loves red roses. These choices work just as well on 14 February:

• Pink, peach or cream roses. Softer, and right for a new relationship or for someone who prefers gentle colours.
• Red and white roses together. Festive, but less direct than all red.
• Tulips. By February, tulips are already in many flower shops. Red tulips are also traditionally linked with love.
• A bouquet of their favourite flowers. If you know which flowers the person likes, that almost always beats any symbolism.
• A potted orchid. With reasonable care it flowers for weeks, so it suits someone who enjoys plants.
• A flower box. No vase is needed, and it sits neatly on a table.

More and more men receive flowers on Valentine's Day too. For a man, people usually choose a bouquet in deeper, more muted colours, or a potted plant.

How many roses to give

In Lithuania flowers for happy occasions come in odd numbers, and even numbers are kept for funerals and graves. When roses are given by the stem, the number is easy to see at a glance, so it is worth sticking to the rule.

• One rose is a perfectly good gift on its own. It suits a new relationship or a short meeting, or it can go alongside another present.
• Three roses are probably the most popular romantic choice: they look complete without being too formal.
• Five, seven or nine roses make a proper bouquet.
• Eleven, fifteen, twenty-one or twenty-five are for a bigger gesture, for example an anniversary or a special date.

The dozen red roses familiar from Western films is an even number, so in Lithuania choose eleven or fifteen instead. Some people also avoid thirteen as an unlucky number.

In large mixed bouquets nobody really counts the flowers. But if the bouquet is all roses, it is still worth keeping the number odd.

What the colours mean

Colour meanings are a tradition rather than a rule, but they are worth knowing on Valentine's Day.

• Red stands for love and passion.
• Pink stands for tenderness, affection and gratitude.
• White is linked with purity and new beginnings, and is often paired with red.
• Peach and orange stand for warmth and sincerity.
• Yellow means friendship and joy, but some older people in Lithuania link it with separation, so it is less often given to a partner.

If you want to give flowers to a friend, your mother or a colleague around Valentine's Day, choose pink, white or yellow rather than red.

One rose or a bouquet

The choice depends on the relationship, but also on how you will spend the day. If you hand the flowers over at home, a larger bouquet goes straight into a vase. If you are meeting at a café or going out for dinner, someone will be carrying the bouquet all evening, and restaurant tables rarely have room for one. In that case one or three roses are easier, and a bigger bouquet can wait for the morning or for when you get home.

A single rose is not "too little": fresh and neatly wrapped, it often says as much as a big bouquet.

Order ahead

Valentine's Day is one of the busiest days of the year for florists. The choice is widest in the morning. In the evening, when many people come straight from work, the most popular roses can sell out and there may be a queue.

The simplest solution is to pre-order a bouquet or a set number of roses a day or a few days before. When you order, say:

• how many roses or what size of bouquet you want;
• which colours, and whether you would like other flowers or greenery;
• when you will collect it.

Keeping roses fresh

Carrying them in the cold

Kaunas in February is often below freezing, and roses do not like frost. Frozen petals darken and go limp, and they cannot be revived. Ask for the flowers to be wrapped well in paper, and do not leave them in a cold car while you run other errands. A short walk from the shop to the car or to your door will not harm well-wrapped roses.

If you buy the day before

Choose roses whose buds are not yet fully open. At home, trim the stems and put the roses in water in a cooler room, away from radiators.

At home

• Wash the vase well before use.
• Cut 2–3 cm off each stem at an angle with a sharp knife and put the roses straight into water.
• Remove any leaves that would sit below the water line.
• Change the water every 1–2 days.
• Keep the roses away from radiators, direct sun and the fruit bowl.

Well cared for, cut roses usually last about a week, often longer.

Valentine's Day flowers in Kaunas

Gitanos gėlės is a florist stand inside the Šilas store at A. Baranausko g. 26, Kaunas, open every day from 8:00 to 23:00, so you can call in early in the morning or late in the evening. Roses are sold by the stem from 2,50 € each, and bouquets start from 15 €. To avoid the Valentine's Day queue, you can pre-order a bouquet or a set number of roses by SMS on +370 656 38880 or at gitanosgeles.lt and collect it in person.