How do other orchid nuts deal with Valentines Day?

[JanS]

Hi All:

So, today in the USA is "Valentine's Day" - a day you are supposed to show/express your love to your best partner or friend. We never had such an occasion in Europe where I grew up but since I got to the USA, I've had to deal with it. In the early years it was easy to just pick up some flowers at the local stand, but when I got into orchids ... Valentine's Day got difficult:

As a guy, if you buy your girl an orchid, it seems you are just using the holiday to enrich your collection. Later, when you have many orchids, something is always blooming in the house which will always "kick butt" to some "common" bunch of roses.

Case in point - see my just blooming Dendro. speciousum - which not only looks beautiful but also scents the whole room!

I guess chocolates are our next bet?

[isurus79]

Roses, chocolate and dinner. Those are the trifecta of Valentines. Or you can be like me and get yelled at for planning the above on Saturday instead of Thursday :-(

[Ordphien]

I don't really understand Valentine's day to be honest.
And I never ever realise it's Valentine's day till someone points it out to me...
I made heart shaped breakfast, followed by a picnic on a hill at sunset and the release of two floating lanterns that I said symbolized our love.. or something like that... I don't really remember my reasoning.
And after that was some margaritas while we watched the Disneyland fireworks (which you can see from the picnic spot).
That's what I managed to pull together after I found out this morning.

No chocolates or flowers.
Lots of candles though... I had a whole trail of tea lights and lanterns up the hill and tons at our picnic spot...

All in all I don't really care about Valentine's day... but my fiance does and I care about him so I try and put on the effort...

[tsun1108]

I told my husband don't bother spending his money buying me bouquet of roses which will only last a week, and instead get me a orchid plant hehehehehe (works out cheaper too, and the blooms last for months........)

[violetta]

I got a bouquet of roses plus a 100 euro voucher for purchases from my favourite nursery ... best present ever!
My boyfriend warned me he won't come with me when I choose the orchids .. I wonder why!

[mattryan]

Going to orchid show tomarrow for my valentine's day pressie...Tetraspis waiting for me!!!!

Cheryl

[twentyseven]

I've never been a big fan of V-day, and our anniversary is 4 days before then so if we do go out to a date dinner its normally on the 10th for the anniv.

I don't get chocolates or flowers or a card, and I'm ok with that, it seems silly since we do nice stuff for each other throughout the year. It seems like v-day is just an obligation for most men anyway. Although this year I was secretly hoping that he would get me an orchid, no such luck

[Vanda lover]

Roses cost more than many orchids and don't last long. My husband took me to the one grocery store that sometimes has something other than phals for valentines. No luck this time. I don't need yet another phal, so we went out to dinner. If only we had something besides phals!

[NYCorchidman]

As Steve shared above, red rosed, chocolate and dinner, all three or one or two of these are classic and never go wrong on Valentine's Day.

I wouldn't buy an orchid when you are already an orchid grower just because of the obvious suspicious reason you already pointed out, whether you intended that way or not.

If your partner likes something unusual and different, then you can come up with other stuff, but keep it creative, fun and of course romantic and memorable.

My partner is also from Europe where Valentine's Day is not really celebrated but since we live in America where it is big, we follow it.

We do gifts, flowers, dinner, movie...lots of stuff.
When I get a big bunch of red roses, I still get excited and happy.
and I have tons of beautiful orchids in bloom this time of the year.

[gardengirl13]

Another coming from the ladies side...

I HATE valentines day. Too much expectation. Too much pressure. Hate that all our favorite places to eat all have v-day dinners and most are Prix Fixe that we don't like any way. Like twentyseven we have an anniversary on the 19th and celebrate both holidays then. Restaurants are cheaper and we get the full menu, flowers are cheaper. Although I never get cut flowers for holidays. He knows me better then that! He knows I like them, but I'd rather get a plant. We looked for orchids locally this year and struck out big time. Nothing but sad looking phals. He really wanted to get something but just couldn't find anything anywhere. But out local garden center has a late winter flower and garden show which they usually bring in a bunch of orchids to sell so we'll go look more then. It'll just be a week or so late for our anniversary, but that's cool with me.