Sometimes you do not want to write:
“I want you.”
Particularly if the flower card is being delivered to someone’s office where there is a very real possibility that Linda from accounting will read it first.
Fortunately, flowers can handle some of the communication.
Here is your unofficial guide.
Red Roses: I Am Not Being Subtle
There is no platonic emergency requiring twelve red roses.
Everybody understands.
If there is established chemistry, lean into it.
Pink Roses: I Like Where This Is Going
Pink is lighter.
Flirty.
Affectionate.
It works extremely well when something romantic is developing but neither person has started using terrifying words like “relationship status.”
Burgundy: Tonight Might Be Interesting
Deep burgundy and wine-coloured flowers feel more dramatic.
They are excellent for dinner dates, anniversaries and invitations where you already know what the evening’s energy is supposed to be.
They also photograph beautifully in darker rooms and candlelight.
Not irrelevant.
White Flowers: Come Over, My Apartment Is Immaculate
White flowers are clean, elegant and sophisticated.
They do not automatically read as sexual.
But paired with an intimate dinner, candles and an actually clean apartment?
Different story.
Context is powerful.
Peonies: I’m Romantic but I Have Taste
When available, peonies have an almost unfair advantage.
They are lush without being loud.
Feminine without looking juvenile.
Romantic without looking like you ordered them from a Valentine’s Day catalogue in 1997.
Orchids: I Have My Life Together
Whether this is actually true is between you and your accountant.
But aesthetically?
An orchid is composed.
Minimal.
Confident.
It is particularly good when you are entering someone’s home because it remains there afterward.
And Then There Is the Best Flower
The one they love.
This remains undefeated.
If someone once says:
“My grandmother always had lilacs.”
And six months later you remember?
That is more romantic than knowing the entire Victorian dictionary of flower symbolism.
Desire is not only physical.
Being deeply noticed is attractive too.
Flowers Are Basically Subtext With Stems
That is why we continue giving them.
They are unnecessary.
Impractical.
Temporary.
And somehow incredibly effective.
They allow us to communicate things without having to say everything directly.
Sometimes:
“I love you.”
Sometimes:
“I’m sorry.”
Sometimes:
“I miss you.”
And occasionally:
“Dinner at eight. Don’t make plans afterward.”
We’ll leave the rest to you.