Flower calendar · February
February flowers: Valentine’s month
February is the biggest month of the year for flowers. Red roses for Valentine’s Day, bouquets for friends on Galentine’s and mimosa filling the Spanish winter with yellow.
- Big date
- February 14Valentine’s Day
- Star flower
- Red roseand tulips for friends
- In season in Spain
- Mimosa and tulipanemone, daffodil
- Price
- Rises the week of the 14thorder early
Dates for giving flowers in February
February packs three dates into one week, all around love and friendship:
| Date | What is celebrated and why | Flower | Color | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| every year | Rose Day It opens Valentine’s Week: each of the seven days before Valentine’s Day has its own theme, and the first one is for giving roses. It is everywhere in Bollywood edits and reels. | Roses | Red | India |
| every year | Galentine’s Day It was born in 2010 in the series Parks and Recreation, when Leslie Knope celebrates her friends the day before Valentine’s Day. Social media turned it into a real plan: breakfast, shared bouquets and a group photo. | Bouquets for your friends | Pink | Worldwide, especially on social media |
| every year | Valentine’s Day The biggest day of the year for flowers. The red rose is the universal code for “I like you”; in several Latin American countries friendship is celebrated too, so giving flowers to friends also counts. | Red roses | Red | Worldwide · in Mexico and other countries, Day of Love and Friendship |
February 14 is, by far, the day when the most flowers are sold in the world. In Mexico and much of Latin America it is the Day of Love and Friendship, so giving flowers to friends counts too. In Colombia, however, the big date comes in September with Amor y Amistad. You’ll find the whole story and the other Valentine’s Days of the year in the Valentine’s Day guide.
Flowers in season in February
| Month | Spain | Mexico and Central America | Argentina, Chile and Uruguay |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | mimosa, tulip, anemone, ranunculus, daffodil, violet | rose, calla lily, carnation, gerbera, sunflower | sunflower, dahlia, hydrangea, zinnia, gladiolus |
In Colombia, Ecuador and the Andes, the high-altitude climate lets growers produce roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, alstroemerias and hydrangeas all year round: that is why they are two of the world’s largest flower exporters. This table is a guide: the season changes with the area and the year, and greenhouses extend almost all of them.
In Spain February is the month of mimosa: whole hillsides turn yellow in Galicia and along the coast. Tulips are at their best, as are anemones and ranunculus, and daffodils and violets are starting. Almond trees in bloom announce that spring is near.
In Mexico it is peak season for roses, grown in the State of Mexico to supply the 14th. In Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, it is the end of summer: dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers and the last hydrangeas.
What to give in February
- For your partner: the red rose is the classic. If you want something different, red tulips or a bouquet of pink and white roses.
- For your friends (February 13): colorful tulips, daisies or matching little bunches for everyone.
- For someone you’ve just met: pink roses or tulips: affection without sounding like a declaration.
- For yourself: mimosa or a bunch of anemones, at in-season prices.
How to get Valentine’s Day right (and save money)
- Order a week ahead. On the 13th and 14th florists are swamped and only the roses nobody wanted are left.
- Ask for seasonal flowers: a bunch of tulips or anemones costs less than a dozen roses and is just as pretty.
- A single good rose looks better than twelve small ones. Less is more.
- Add a handwritten note. It’s what people remember most.
- If the 14th falls on a weekday, think about delivery to their workplace: few things make people happier, but check first whether it’s allowed there.
If your relationship started recently, your anniversary might be a better occasion than Valentine’s Day for a big bouquet.
Remind me 3 days before
Download the reminder and open it with your phone’s calendar: it repeats every year and alerts you three days before, so you have time to order the bouquet.
Frequently asked questions
Which flowers are given in February?
Above all red roses for Valentine’s Day, on February 14. On the 13th people give bouquets to their friends for Galentine’s Day, with tulips as the favorite flower.
Which flowers are in season in February?
In Spain, mimosa, tulip, anemone, ranunculus, daffodil and violet. In Mexico, roses, calla lilies and carnations. In the Southern Cone, sunflowers, dahlias and hydrangeas.
Why are roses more expensive in February?
Because demand multiplies for Valentine’s Day while production stays the same. Prices usually go up from a week before the 14th.
What can you give on Valentine’s Day instead of red roses?
Red tulips, peonies if you can find them, a mixed seasonal bouquet or a single beautiful rose. What matters is the gesture, not the size.
What is Rose Day on February 7?
The first day of Valentine’s Week in India: each of the seven days before Valentine’s Day has a theme, and the first one is giving roses.
