While we may always love a classic arrangement of red roses, there's something refreshing about stepping outside tradition. We've seen a gradual shift in past Valentine's Days that indicate that a lot of people like mixing it up when it comes to their flowers. We've seen more requests for colors such as pink, purple, and even yellow while plants are steadily becoming more popular as a nonfloral option. Let's check out a few unique options!
1. Cactus: A Truly Unique Vday Gift
Plants are gaining popularity as an alternative to flowers for Valentine's Day and for good reason. Unlike cut flowers, plants can live for many years so long as they receive the proper care. We have many low-maintenance options to choose from with our favorite being cacti.
Easy to care for, small in size, and drought tolerant, a cactus is the perfect desk companion for your loved one if they work in an office. A great choice for Valentine's Day is the Desert Dreamers. These potted cacti come in a variety of colors from hot pink, orange, red, yellow, multicolor, and dark purple. They are potted alongside succulents some of which may bloom. This also makes a great budget-friendly Valentine's Day gift idea since you can buy just one for $40.
If you're looking for a small plant that is more exotic in appearance, then I suggest the Heart Succulent. This was one of our top choices last Valentine's Day due to its heart-shaped appearance. This particular heart shape plant is actually a succulent formally known as a hoya plant, a tropical cactus native to Asia and Australia.
2. Wreath: The Best Valentine's Gift For Long Lasting Enjoyment
If you truly want something that is both special and untraditional, then consider a handmade wreath with dried flowers. This is an ideal gift that can be both admired and put to use as everyday decor.
Select wreaths that are built on a hardier base such as grapevine like our Boho Wreath may be hung on the front door so long as it doesn't receive direct light. All our wreaths are adorned with dried flowers and other dried elements such as mushrooms and palm fans that have been colored which may fade in direct light.
If your loved one is a fan of wall decor, then we suggest one of our all-time favorite wreaths called Up in the Clouds. This dreamy wreath is built on a metal gold hoop and dried strawflowers have been adhered along with a large mushroom and other touches. One of our favorite elements is the bits of cotton resembling clouds. This is the perfect Valentine's Day gift for someone who loves pink and is a fan of home decor.
3. Floral Art: A Unconventional Yet Modern Gift
Pressed flowers are a very untraditional way of gifting flowers for Valentine's Day, however, the art has been around since the early days of human civilization. Today it's become a popular method of preserving the beauty of flowers and is relatively easy for anyone to do. We like to take our pressed flowers a step further and make home decor that doubles as art.
Our candle holders for example are entirely handmade from wood which is assembled into a geometric shape and stained. Carefully placed strips of wood line the bottom of the candle that when lit lights up the resin sides which are adorned with a variety of pressed flowers. This would make a thoughtful Valentine's Day gift not just for nature lovers but for anyone who enjoys candles.
4. Dried Flowers: Top Valentine's Day Gift To Surprise Someone
Understandably, some people do not wish to spend money on flowers knowing that they will eventually die, but that doesn't mean you have to skip flowers for Valentine's Day. If your loved one enjoys having a flower arrangement in their home or office but you wish for something more permanent, then we encourage you to consider a dried flower arrangement. It'll definitely be a welcome surprise!
Dried flowers come in a variety of blooms from roses, strawflowers, clover, hydrangea, babies breath, and so many more. What is particularly eye-catching about dried flowers are the bright colors they come in. From royal blue to hot pink, from deep red to purple there's a large variety of colors to choose from.
By far two of our most popular arrangements have been Here Comes the Sun, which is a cheerful arrangement of dried flowers arranged in a ceramic container resembling a log. We add bright green moss along the sides for added color and texture, and like all our dried arrangements this will last well beyond Valentine's Day.
The second most popular arrangement which we think is another great fit for Valentine's Day is the Custom Dried Arrangement which is entirely custom-made to fit your desired color palette. You can leave a note at checkout with a preferred color palette and leave the rest to us. Custom-dried arrangements start at $100 for a small arrangement and go up to $150 for a larger and fuller piece.
A Final Note About The Top Valentine's Gifts
As a final note, we encourage pre-ordering for Valentine's Day to guarantee your order since small businesses like us usually sell out of our most popular items and specific flowers in the days leading to the day of Valentine's Day. We also highly suggest picking up your item and handing it directly to your loved one if you can versus choosing delivery since our delivery window will be very large that day due to the high volume of orders, often businesses can't guarantee a specific delivery time. It's no secret that Valentine's Day is every florist's very own Superbowl.
We hope you've enjoyed this breakdown of some of our team here at The English Garden's top picks for unique gifts for vday!
