Fresh Cut Flower Alternatives for Your Sweetheart

Sure it may be easy to stop by the local grocery store for a bouquet of blooms, but do you know from where they came? Are they organic? Were the workers who cared for them and cut them treated and paid fairly? Worry not a moment longer about the ethics of the floral world.

Here are some fresh cut flower alternatives for enchanting your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day.

Potted Flowers and Plants

A bouquet of fresh cut flowers are fun to receive and beautiful to look at, for a few days at least. Even the sturdier varieties can only last a week or so then your loved one has a vase full of floral carcasses. That’s not a great symbol of your love and admiration. What if you offered a potted plant that not only looked amazing the day it was received, but continued to offer a stunning representation of your growing affections? Even brown thumbs stand a chance with helpful websites catering to the novice gardener and hesitant florist. Some deliciously gorgeous choices are orchids, mums and miniature roses. The first is striking while the second is sturdy and great for first time planters. The later is common, pretty and holds its own against someone with mediocre gardening skills. If your love shuns petaled beauties than perhaps a houseplant is a good choice.

Seeds

Okay, we talked about alternatives to fresh cut but we meant someone else cutting them, not your sweetie. While this may seem like an unconventional and even boring gift, it has so much potential. Offering your loved one seeds for their favorite flower, flowers that grow well in their area or simply a collection of wildflowers can actually offer up a future of fresh cut beauty from their own backyard. Wildflowers are pretty hardy and can be grown in large yards or in a pot on an apartment balcony. Once planted most continue to flourish and provide blooms so long as the owner continues to cut the steady stream of flowers. Be sure to choose organic varieties.

Fabric and Paper Flowers

Real flowers offer up amazing scents and colors, but sometimes interesting choices are the way to go for the more interesting love. If your darling is a green girl than flowers made from newspaper or magazines is sure to brighten the day in a very eco way. The above flowers are made with a series of circles with strips of curled paper as the petals. The flowers can be attached to wire or pipe cleaners to create an environmentally unique bouquet pleasing to the eyes and heart.

{cc photo courtesy of  crostinidesigns on flickr}

If You’ll Die Without a Store-Bought Bouquet

Maybe your thumb’s just too brown or seeds just don’t have the pizazz you’re looking for, you can still bought a bouquet either online or though a local vender. Organic Bouquet is an online vender that’s been delivering organic blooms for some time. Not only are you getting organic flowers, you have the option to purchase bouquets that will have 5% of your purchase go to a local charity. It’s really a win, win and keep on winning situation. If you waited too long than stop by your local grocery store and take a look at the labels. Supply and demand has worked in favor of more environmentally-friendly products so many grocery stores now offer organic bouquets. Look for the USDA organic sticker to be sure.

What is your favorite flower? What type of eco-friendly flowers would you like to receive?

If you can’t go the flower route, why not craft something flowery instead: 23 Valentine’s Day Heart Crafts from Crafting a Green World