(NAPSA)—It’s obvious that Shakespeare was never scrambling to come up with the perfect their flowers are the same way. There is such a huge variety produced year-round in the state and shippedall over the U.S. that to candy apple and scarlet. The pretty faces of red anemones would steal anyone’s heart, while red spider gerberas let the arrangement take a bit of a walk on the wild side. Want to make a big impression? Combine’ these with red bouvardia, tulips and asters with accents of willow eucalyptus and coffee berry bean. Form There are even great choices for those who want a really dramatic flair. California is now producing when they think of Valentine’s Day expressions...even without incorporating roses into the mix. thurium in several shades and tones of red and pink. Valentine’s Day bouquet to give his beloved. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” Shakespeare wrote. That might be true, but what happens if a person can’t afford roses no matter what they’re called? Or dilly dallies until finding a dozen nice longstemmed roses is almost as hard as finding a town without a Starbucks? Or wants to tell his sweetheart how truly uniquetheir love is—and the old standards just don’t say it in an extraordinary enough way. Californians pride themselves on being individualistic, creative, diverse and on the forefront. And people can be very imaginative Here are a few tips on using different elements of style to say “T love you” with flowers on the most romantic day of the year. Shape Use shape to get your “heart”felt message across. You can wire any number of plant materials into a heart as the focal point of the design. Try heather, calcenia, leptospermum, melaleuca or mini myrtle. Then fill in the base of the heart with seasonal blooms to complement the colors of the heart-shaped focal point. Color In floral language, red is the glossy, exotic an- @ Try a brick-red | LOVE YOU—Fewthingssay “I love you passion- anthurium and ately, madly, deeply” so creatively as a bouquet of add “Fangio” LA flowers. The choices are endless and include hybrid lilies to lilies, roses, tulips and asters in all shapes and complement the anthurium in form colors. and color, then color that says “I love you paspepperberries and kangaroo paw sionately, madly, deeply.” Maybe for texture. The variegated look that’s why red roses cause such an outbreak of the giddies this time of year. Why not create an all-red bouquet without roses that shouts that same delicious message? California growers have an abundanceof reds right now, from burgundy and garnet of leucadendron “Safari Sunset” or “Jester Safari” will punch up the color palette. For more tips on beautiful arrangements for Valentine’s Day or any other occasion, visit the California Cut Flower Commission online at www.ccfc.org.
