10 Romantic Flowers for Valentine's Day

1. ‘Valentine’ sunflower grows to be 5 feet tall. Its lemony yellow blossoms with chocolate brown centers are excellent for cutting so you’ll have bouquets all summer long to remind you of your growing love.
2. ‘Exotic Love Vine’ aka Spanish Flag (Mina lobata) grows to be 15 feet tall in a good season, an indicator of the great heights to which love can soar. Its multicolored flowers change from yellow to orange to red as they mature.

3. Forget-me-not (Myosotis spp) is a hardy biennial that carpets the ground in early spring with its delicate pink, white, and blue flowers. According to a German folktale, it got its name when a knight who was picking flowers at a river’s edge fell in the water and was swept away by the current. He yelled, “Forget me not!” as he threw the bouquet to his sweetheart.

4. ‘Falling in Love’ shirley poppies have delicate, crepe-papery, 3-inch-wide double flowers in a mix of scarlet, rose, white, and coral. These charmers bloom early and will reseed to keep your love blossoming year after year.
5. ‘Lover’s Mix’ larkspur is a classic cut flower with spires in pastel shades of lilac, pink, blue, rose, and white—perfect for bouquets for that special someone.
6. ‘Summer Romance’ alyssum is aptly named because you will fall in love with its sweet honey scent and blend of lavender, violet, white, and pink blossoms.

7. Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus) is an heirloom plant that was a favorite in Victorian gardens. An amaranth, it bears long chenille-like tassels of dark red that cascade down toward the ground in dramatic fashion. It looks great growing over a white picket fence.
8. Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate (Persicaria orientalis) is another exotic heirloom. With lightly scented, 4-6 inch long rosy pink tassels and heart-shaped leaves, you will find it hard to resist. Blooming from July until frost, it can grow to be 6-7 feet tall in a good year and will keep your passion on display. For a shorter version, look for the cultivar ‘Cerise Pearls’. It grows to be only 4-5 feet tall, keeping the flowers at eye-level.

9. Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) is another classic flower of the romantic garden that’s also known as “Love Entangle” or “Love-in-a-puzzle” for the way its flowers seem to float in a cloud of finely cut foliage. The blossoms come in many shades of blue, purple, pink, and white with dark centers. After blooming, the handsome seed pods can be dried and used in arrangements.

10. Of course, we can’t forget the famous bleeding heart. Who doesn’t love the arched sprays of tiny pink hearts that cover plants in early spring? 

Get passionate about gardening and plant the seeds of love this Valentine’s Day!

Did you know that every flower has a symbolic meaning? Learn the meanings of flowers.