SAN JOSE, CALIF.—As Feb. 14 creeps closer, students of Silver Creek High School may be unaware that the type and color of flowers hold certain meanings. 

One might gift flowers to their parents, guardians, friends or partner and it is crucial to identify which type of flowers are appropriate for the kind of message they are sending. Many students have said they enjoy receiving red roses, tulips and lilies the most. 

“Red is my favorite color,” said Aaden Rante, a junior at Silver Creek, “so red roses are my favorite flowers.” While being a beautiful color, red roses also represent love, beauty, courage, passion and respect—they are the perfect gift for anyone you love. 

Be sure not to make the mistake of giving white roses instead, which represent sympathy, because it can send the message of “I feel sorry for you.” However, roses are common and inexpensive which can be found at your local supermarket. Light pink and burgundy roses are ideal to remind someone of their beauty. According to “The Floral Design”, Burgundy roses represent beauty within, while light pink roses represent admiration and sweetness. In the case of giving your friend flowers, yellow roses represent a strong friendship! 

Based on a survey of high school students, tulips are also another popular flower to receive. “My mom’s favorite flowers were tulips and I loved how they looked when fresh, so they became my favorite.” said Tyra Ngo, another junior at Silver Creek. 

A good tip is to not give yellow tulips as they represent hopeless love with no chance of reconciliation. Instead, your partner might like to receive pink, purple or orange tulips! Purple represents everlasting love, pink represents the perfect lover and orange tulips can express one’s fascination. White tulips are also good flowers to use in the case that one is expressing one’s forgiveness and sincerity.

“Lilies are so pretty and when they bloom, it makes me feel cozy and warm. The vibrant colors and details just make my heart happy!” said Ahaana Baheti. While lilies can come in various colors, there are also different types that have different meanings. For a general gift yellow lilies and tiger lilies are perfect—yellow means joy, gratitude and happiness, and tiger lilies represent pride, fortune, optimism and luck! 

Looking for a way to express to your partner how you feel about a recently blooming relationship? Well, Asiatic lilies mean commitment and new beginnings. When paired with calla lilies which represent devotion and faithfulness, your partner is sure to get butterflies in their stomach. 

Valentine’s gifts are not strictly for romance. Flowers can be given to family members, friends, teachers or anyone that is important in your life. Flowers for a general audience can be sunflowers, plumerias and baby’s breath. Plumerias show love, beauty and grace. If paired with baby’s breath which shows innocence and purity, the bouquet can be for anyone. A gift for the sun in your life can be sunflowers, which wishes them a long life with lasting happiness. 

If your gift does revolve around romance, gerberas can express loyal love. Specifically, three gerberas mean ‘I love you’, according to “Medium”. These can be paired with honeysuckle which represent sweetness, romantic love and true happiness. Additionally, you can show you love has abundance, heartfelt emotion and gratitude by giving hydrangea. 

Valentine’s day is the perfect time to share love with the people that are important to you. Whether it be romantic, platonic, or familial love, Feb. 14th is the perfect opportunity, even with the simple, but meaningful gift of a bouquet.