It’s not just the chocolates; Valentine’s Day bouquets get stale. Roses? Sure. Baby’s Breath. Fine. Unexciting. Because the options feel constrained, the bloom is off the gesture. Getting flowers starts to feel more like obligation than romance.
But alternative arrangements can be made.
“If you really care about someone, you should want to go the extra mile and not just send them a dozen roses,” says Caroline Bailly, the founder of New York bouquet delivery service Buunch. “That’s my take. Be more thoughtful than that.”
We asked Bailly what she’d recommend for some very specific romantic situations when roses don’t feel right. A girl you hooked up with once and want to reach out to again? “I would send something very romantic: most likely ranunculus, maybe stay away from red colors, and stick to a more neutral color palette like blush pinks,” she says.
How about a girlfriend who loves flowers, but is deeply allergic? “Go with a stunning arrangement of mixed orchids. That would be ideal.”
For the girlfriend who hates her coworkers, and wants to show them up with a glaring display of love from her boyfriend, Bailly recommends going all out. “I’d send something that is still suited for her desk and splurge into unusual and fragrant blooms, such as mimosa, sweet peas, hyacinths, and piaget garden roses to make sure that she is the talk of the office.”
Bailly specializes in pairing common bodega flowers (think: tulips, dahlias, and hydrangeas) with unexpected additions like lime plants and vegetables. The results are surprising and memorable. Different. Also, romantic, but in a more intentional and, frankly, sexier way. (Georgia O’Keefe eat your… heart out.)
“There’s a lot in season that’s really gorgeous,” she says. “We’re going to add some Hyacinths, some Anemones, some Gerber Daisies. Use some seasonal flowers. There are big beautiful blooms right now. Even tulips are starting to be available, which look great.”
Having designed thousands of arrangements over the years, Bailly sees the value in everyday flowers too. A little bit of creativity can go a long way, even without fancy flowers.
“It’s about textures, it’s about fragrances,” she says. “I buy flowers sometimes at Trader Joe’s for my home. I’ll buy a bunch of fresh stems, break them down, and if it’s a multiscale season get some purple curly kale and add that so it can be textured.”
The most common mistake Bailly sees when well-intentioned beginners take a stab at arranging? Proportion. Flowers get cut too short or jammed into unnecessarily dense bouquets. Bailly also recommends putting bodega flowers in water to let them rehydrate before arranging anything. Dehydration is a big issue for blooms sold next to bags of pretzels.
Most of all, though, she thinks more people should try stuff. It’s hard to go wrong and even if it doesn’t quite work out, an effort was made. There’s something to be said for imagination.
