February 14 — Valentine's Day in New Jersey

February 14 — Valentine's Day in New Jersey: roses before the gardens wake

On February 14 — Valentine's Day in New Jersey — the rose garden in Colonial Park, Somerset, with more than 3,000 bushes of 345 varieties, is still bare: it doesn't peak until early June. In winter, the roses sold here mostly fly in from Colombia and Ecuador through Miami, so the choice comes down to colour, bud shape and format rather than what's growing nearby.

Bare cherry trees in Branch Brook: where February's red comes from

Newark's Branch Brook Park is planted with more than 5,000 Japanese cherry trees across 18 varieties. Every branch stands bare in February: the blossom doesn't start until late March and runs into early May. New Jersey is the Garden State and the third-largest producer of cut flowers sold in the US, according to USDA figures for 2024, but February sits outside its season too.

A red rose is read in most flower-language dictionaries as passionate love, though no single agreed list of meanings exists. In winter a bouquet shouldn't be left outside, so flowers in New Jersey are best carried indoors straight away.

Despite the name, a French rose is not a rose variety: it's a florist's technique of folding back the outer petals by hand so the bloom opens wider than it would on its own. The colour still carries the meaning. Red stands for passion and is sold here as 11 Red French Roses; white reads as purity, in 11 White French Roses; pink softens the message into something gentler than either.

Jumilia combines both: a white base shading into a pink edge, its bud opening to around seven centimetres, sold as 15 French Roses "Jumilia". Given good care it can last up to two weeks in the vase, longer than an ordinary rose, which usually holds for about a week and occasionally reaches ten days. Trim the stems on a slant, change the water every day or two and keep the vase away from radiators.

A box, a card, strawberries: Valentine's flower delivery in New Jersey

A box of roses needs no vase: it stands straight on a table or a desk, with stems already sitting in soaked foam. Chocolate-dipped strawberries can go alongside it, and other gifts to go with the bouquet extend the choice further. The card that comes with any order costs nothing extra and can be signed or left anonymous. If the evening is booked at a restaurant, the timing is agreed with the manager and the flowers arrive with dessert.

On February 14 — Valentine's Day in New Jersey — orders climb well past an ordinary day's volume and courier windows stretch longer. Nobody can promise an exact minute, which is why booking several days ahead makes sense. Every bouquet is photographed before the courier sets off, and most orders are delivered the same day they're placed; the timing for a given bouquet is shown on its own page. Rates and coverage by area are listed on the delivery zones page. Orders placed from abroad, and deliveries to hotels or hospitals, are handed over according to the rules of the place: at reception or the nurses' station.

For the day itself, start with red or white French roses, and there are more roses beyond the Valentine's list for anyone after a different shade. Where the address is a desk or a hotel room without a vase, a box of roses travels better than loose stems, and chocolate strawberries are easy to add.