While the humble rose has stood the test of time when it comes to showcasing love, local florists have revealed the emerging stars of the romance world.
Whether it’s native flowers, dried bouquets, or simply underrated gems – the experts want you to get creative this Valentine’s Day.
Amy Gurling, the owner of Unveilling Poppy at Daisy Hill, said while roses remained popular, there were “so many beautiful, unique flowers” available this time of year.
“Things like hydrangeas, disbuds and snapdragons are really beautiful in the summer time,” she said.
“So you don’t have to go for the classic red rose.”
Ash Cameron, the owner of the Flower Hive in Chambers Flat, noticed a growing trend in recent years.
“I have had my business for four years now, and last Valentine’s Day, I was actually asked to do more dried arrangements and bouquets than I was fresh roses,” she said.
“Flowers die after a week of two, so a lot of my male customers have started to move towards the dried because they last forever.”
Ms Cameron said native flowers were popular because they were naturally dry, and offered a wider variety of colours than just red, white and pink.
“When you get a big bouquet of roses, they are high maintanence – you’ve got cut them down and change the water and everything like that,” she said.
“But with the drieds, they just sit there and look pretty.
“They don’t wilt, they don’t create a smell and they last forever.”
However, the team at The Lush Lily at the Hyperdome said nothing beats the red rose.
“Roses are timeless,” one team member said.
While it depends who the recipient of the bouquet is, they advised to never “keep it simple” and to include a nice variety of flowers.
For those struggling to find the right bouquet or flower, Ms Gurling said leave it to the professionals.
She said flowers had meaning.
“If they come in with an idea of what their partner’s personality is like or their favourite colour, leave it to us and you will get the best for it,” Ms Gurling said.
“We custom-make and tailor it to people’s personality.”
Divine Bouquet’s Jodie O’Leary, based at Jimboomba, agreed locals should “leave it to the experts”.
“We do it every day all day – we have a fire in the belly about it and you won’t be disappointed.”
For those looking to branch outside the red rose, which Ms O’Leary described as “the flower of love”, she suggests daisies or oriental lillies.
But she recommends keeping it simple.
“They are longlasting in the heat, so if you mix your roses with your lovely lush lillies, you get a bit more life out of your bouquet of flowers,” Ms O’Leary said.
Ms Gurling said most store-bought flowers were mass-produced.
“So sometimes the scent is not as dominate as one grown in the garden,” she said.
