I love you... I love you... 110,000,000 times!

With Valentine's Day on Friday, February 14, lovers throughout the country will be looking for the perfect way to express their feelings at the start of the new millennium.

Since the time of the Greek gods, this has been the time of year when young and old alike have searched for ways to say, "I love you," "You're heavenly," "I have a great desire for you," just plain "WOW!" or "Thanks for being a part of my life."

Getting the new year off on the right foot can set the tone for good relationships throughout the year, so this can be an important time to establish an image and memory that will have a lasting effect. An impressive and memorable way to handle the assignment is with a gift of roses from your local flower retailer! Since the time of Cleopatra's meetings with Mark Anthony in the throne room with 18 inches of rose petals on the floor, roses have been the chosen flower of love.

This year, over 110,000,000 roses will be called upon to express the sentiments of lovers throughout the United States, according to Roses Inc., the international trade association representing greenhouse growers of fresh cut roses and specialty cut flowers. Twelve million roses will be sent by Canadian lovers. In the language of flowers, red roses say, "I love you," coral roses express desire, white roses say, "You're heavenly," perfect, and speak of innocence. Pink can say, "Thanks," and yellow roses express joy or friendship.

Of course, with your gift you can include a personal note to express the exact sentiments or message you want to convey.

Other Messages Can Be Sent If You Tie Roses Together Or Combine Colors

A red rose and a white rose tied together with a ribbon, or one with red and white petals in the same rose, tell of unity or togetherness and could also be used to announce an engagement. If you mix white and coral together, your message would say, "You're heavenly and I desire you."

In general, pastel colors convey friendship and two roses taped together to form a single stem tell of an engagement or coming marriage. Even the leaves of the rose carry meaning as the symbol of hope. So, a red rose with leaves could mean love with hope and one with no leaves might say, "I love you," but have no hope of its return.

Another way to personalize your gift is to have your rose delivery made with a special item included with the blooms. For a few starter ideas, if you are planning a Valentine's engagement, have the ring tucked in the bouquet. If you're planning a special romantic trip, have the airline tickets attached.

Roses can also wrap the unwrappable. If your gift is too large to wrap, such as a car, have the keys sent with the roses. Needless to say, you can send many messages with your gift of roses!

Buying and Giving Roses Is Easy. Here Are A Few Tips.

Your local florist will have a great selection and can provide your roses in a beautiful gift box or artfully designed in a vase. You can avoid making a trip out to get your gift by calling the florist where you can charge your gift on major credit cards in most locations and the florist will deliver the blooms for you. Delivery is always a big hit with that special person, but you may want to handle this part yourself. Often, when roses are delivered, there is a strong show of affection and you may want to be on hand to take advantage of that immediate attention. Most florists also offer a service where you can order locally and have the roses delivered almost anywhere in the world by a florist who is part of a network in which your florist participates. It's a great way to remember loved ones who live out of town. Roses can also fit nearly any budget. One rose in a box or bud vase can be a great expression of your feelings, yet keep the budget in hand. Or, sending a number of roses can make a stronger statement. In many cases, the number of roses sent, such as three roses for a third Valentine's Day with that special someone, adds special meaning to your gift. When you buy your roses, it is suggested that you ask for blooms grown as close to home as possible. Roses are perishable and the less time they spend traveling to your florist, the fresher they will be and the longer they will last.

A Lasting Gift

Fresh roses should last from five to seven days and open from the bud stage to a fully open flower. To ensure the longest possible vase life of your roses, here are some tips from Roses Inc., the international association of greenhouse rose growers:

Don't let your roses get thirsty. Add water to your rose vase every day. Cool pays! Keep your roses in a cool location for extra days of vase life.

Be sure they don't get hungry. Add a floral food to the vase water. (Flower food can be obtained from your floral retailer, or, in an emergency, use a soft drink, not diet, with citric acid in it mixed one-half with water.)

If your roses have a posture problem, if the petals of a rose should become soft or the stem fails to hold the flower upright, remove the rose, cut an inch or two off the base of the stem while holding it under water, and lay the flower flat in a pan of warm water until it revives.

Once resuscitated, place the bloom back in its vase. Any time the water in the vase becomes cloudy, remove the roses and cut one or two inches off the base end of the stems while holding the cut area under water. Then, wash the vase, adding clean water before replacing the roses.

Always look for roses that have begun to open so that a petal or two is partly pulled away from the bud. When you touch the petals, they should be firm or slightly crisp and the foliage should be a good green color without signs of damage. To be sure the memories last, make a rose potpourri out of your rose petals.

With millions of roses being handled by floral retailers for this special day, order early to reserve the roses of your choice. And, having your delivery made on the Friday or Saturday before Valentine's Day will ensure that your gift is the first one to be received by your special someone and be on hand to enjoy throughout the entire weekend. Why is the rose the symbol of Love? Click here for more information. For more information about roses, browse other areas of the Roses Inc. Web site.

Statistical information provided courtesy of The Floral Report, Chicago, IL. P.O. Box 99, Haslett, MI 48840.