Valentine's Day

Red is the colour identified with Valentine's Day, and red roses the flowers most in demand for the occasion. Zara loves red at any time of the year and is passionate about using the finest long-stemmed roses, so naturally both feature at the heart of our Valentine's Day Flowers.

In the UK and across the western world, the gift of a dozen red roses has become a symbolic romantic gesture and many clients like to keep to this tradition for Valentine's Day. Zara Flora offers Presentation Bouquets and De-Luxe Aqua Bouquets with either a dozen or half-dozen red roses.

As alternatives, Zara Flora suggests Mixed Tropical Aqua Bouquets - with exotic flowers such as Gingers surrounding a single, symbolic, red rose - and Spring Aqua Bouquets (containing Spring flowers such as Tulips and Narcissi, again with a single red rose for symbolism). For other ideas, see the images in our gallery, especially Bouquets and Arrangements.

Custom, tradition and florists' suggestions are not rules however, so if there are flowers, colours, or designs that are meaningful to you and your Valentine please ask and we'll do our best to meet your wishes. Visit us at the shop in East Grinstead or else contact us by telephone, email or fax.

Zara Flora is the sole appointed Master Florist for the postal areas of East Grinstead (RH19) in West Sussex, Forest Row (RH18) in East Sussex, and Lingfield (RH7) in Surrey, and delivers flowers throughout these districts; also to some locations in RH10 (Copthorne, Crawley Down, Turners Hill).

Generally we offer a same day/next day flower delivery service, however, Valentine's Day is an occasion of intense demand, deliveries must be planned in advance and there is a limit to the number we can undertake, so if you'd like your flowers delivered for Valentine's Day, do book early!

Zara Flora provides flowers at a number of local hotels that are promoting events for Valentines. We recommend visiting the Valentines Offers pages of the web sites for Alexander House (Turners Hill, near East Grinstead), The Felbridge (East Grinstead) and Langshott Manor (Horley/Gatwick).

If you stay at one of these hotels, you'll be close enough to visit the Bluebell Railway for one of their celebrated Afternoon Tea Specials in the luxurious Lounge Car of the Wealden Rambler, or an evening meal aboard the Golden Arrow Pullman. For full information see the Valentines page on the Bluebell Railway Web Site and while you're there, take a look at the details of their other special Events throughout the year.

Valentine's Day, or Saint Valentine's Day, is celebrated across the world on February 14th each year. In the West it is an occasion when romantic love and passion is expressed by sending Valentine's cards (traditionally unsigned/anonymous) and presenting flowers, chocolates and other gifts.

Wikipedia explains that the occasion is named after two of the numerous Early Christian martyrs called Valentine and may have became associated with romantic love at the time of Geoffrey Chaucer in the Middle Ages.

The two Saint Valentines previously honoured by the Catholic Church on February 14th were Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni, martyred in the second and third centuries. Details of their lives and deaths have been debated for years and some believe they were one and the same person. Whatever the truth, whilst we can be sure that February 14th was first named in their/his honour by the church, there is no evidence of the date becoming a celebration of romantic love as a consequence of either the martyrdom or associated deeds or words at the time.

One commonly related story put forward to explain why we celebrate love on Valentine's Day has an imprisoned Valentine sending a note to the jailer's daughter, prior to martyrdom, signed "from your Valentine". Another tale has a priest called Valentine defying an edict of the Roman Emperor by marrying young couples and then being beheaded for his trouble on the eve of the feast of Lupercalia, when romantic attachments between Roman boys and girls were formed. Both explanations sound attractive, yet appear to be founded on wishful thinking rather than fact.

Some scholars agree that (Saint) Valentine's Day was first connected with the celebration/expression of romantic love at the time of Chaucer, the first recorded reference appearing in his Parlement of Foules (1382). This is thought to be incorrect by others who point out that the Valentines Day referred to in Chaucer's poem is more likely to have been the day named after another Saint Valentine (of Genoa) and celebrated on May 2nd.

Still, even if we cannot be certain when it was that romance first took over Saint Valentine's Day, we know that it meant something in the time of William Shakespeare, as is evidenced by Ophelia's words in Hamlet.

We also know that the custom of giving flowers originated in Persia and was adopted in western countries in the 18th century. For this, and to whomsoever it was that really decided that Valentine's Day should be a celebration of love, all florists in our land must be grateful.