February 14 — Valentine's Day in Paris

February 14 — Valentine's Day in Paris: roses for a working Saint-Valentin

February 14 — Valentine's Day in Paris — is Saint-Valentin, an ordinary working day rather than a public holiday, and the flower the French give on it is the rose. The choice that matters is which rose to send, what to place beside it, and where a courier can bring it while the recipient is still at a desk.

Red roses, white lisianthus: the pairing for Saint-Valentin in Paris

A red rose is the most direct answer to Saint-Valentin. White lisianthus sits well beside it: lisianthus is greenhouse-grown and in the shops all year, so choosing it in February costs nothing in freshness compared with June.

Other Saint-Valentin mixed bouquets in Paris set roses beside hydrangea or lilies, built to widen the palette rather than repeat it. A mixed bouquet suits someone for whom an armful of nothing but red roses feels a touch too direct.

11 Red French Roses and 11 White French Roses come as counted stems, and either colour suits the day. "French" names a technique here, not a variety or a place of growing: the florist bends the outer petals back by hand, so each rose opens wider than it would left to itself.

Most of the cut flowers sold in France come in from abroad, and Paris florists buy their roses from wholesalers at the Rungis wholesale pavilion. At JFLOO the flowers for an order go on the buying list only once the order is paid for, so nothing is bought on the chance that someone will want it.

Eleven is an odd number, and French habits around stem counts favour an odd total.

A weekday Saint-Valentin: a box at work, roses at dinner

Since the fourteenth is a working day, a gift often reaches its recipient at a desk rather than at home. A box of flowers, a flower basket or a potted plant all stand without a vase, which matters where nobody at a desk keeps one to hand. For an office delivery, the order needs only the company name and the floor. Where a building has security at the entrance, the courier leaves the box at reception.

A dinner reservation works differently: the courier's timing is agreed with the restaurant manager beforehand, so the bouquet arrives with dessert or with the toast rather than mid-course, or the same flowers wait at home for the evening instead.

A cake, balloon or a card can travel with the bouquet, and the card itself costs nothing extra.

Valentine's flower delivery in Paris runs at its busiest on the fourteenth, so delivery windows are wider that day and no courier promises an exact minute. Ordering a few days ahead leaves more delivery slots to choose from. The date and the window are both chosen when the order is placed, and a photo of the finished bouquet goes out before the courier leaves. The delivery zones and slots page shows what applies to each address.

Choosing what to send is easiest from the address and the mood. A single colour points to roses, a wider palette to mixed bouquets. An office desk or a restaurant table points to flowers in boxes, which need no vase to stand in.