CHENNAI: Red roses have been a symbol of love since the beginning of time. A blooming rosebud has often been compared to one’s heart filling with love. In Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, Juliet argues that even if the rose was called by another name, it would still be known for its sweet smell. Off late, an inclination to break the stereotype has led to lovers turning to other flowers to express their love. Many tropical flowers like carnations, lilies, chrysanthemums and hydras have stepped-up in the market to compete with the rose.
“Although the demand for red roses on Valentine’s Day is still topping the charts, we’ve experienced a slow rise in sales of carnations and gerberas as well. Only people who are aware of these flowers, and have bought them before, are buying them again on V-Day,” says Suresh, owner of SS Florist in Abiramapuram. In contrast, Raj Kumar, owner of Sattva Boutique says, “About 90 per cent of our sales on Valentine’s Day are of red roses only. Only four to five per cent sales are dedicated to carnations, while gerberas and lilies contribute to just about two per cent of our total sales.
This has been the trend ever since we set up shop.” According to him, the “elite” generally opt for other unique options while the rest still prefer roses. Bharath Narayanaswami of Shribha Wedding Flowers in Gopalapuram has a different opinion. “People are not very specific when they pick flowers for Valentine’s Day. They mostly opt for red flowers. Carnations, gerberas and hydras come in red and get picked up quite often too,” he says.
Paint the town red
Since red is the most ‘universally accepted’ colour of love, and there is a general requirement to stray from the cliche, flowers other than roses are being given a chance. Jayanthi Ravichandran, founder of Flower Power in Besant Nagar, agrees. “Red carnations, red orchids, red gerberas, red lilies or mixed bouquets with few red roses are popular too. Because we give our customers a choice, sales of these flowers have increased in the last five years. But roses are still popular among youngsters,” she says.
On one side, young lovers express their undying love with the undying tradition of gifting roses, on the other end, older couples are looking for something new, because they have excessively used them in the past. Different coloured roses have been used to convey different emotions. White roses are gifted as a truce — an apology for ‘messing up’. While it works for the first few years, soon, its significance fades, say a few couples. Yellow roses are most dreaded on the Rose Day for the fear of being ‘friend-zoned’.
Symbolic value
Roses are not only popular on Valentine’s Day. Different coloured roses sell like hotcakes throughout the year too. Due of its symbolic value, new trends like preserved roses have been hitting the markets. “Preserved roses last for two to three years. They are coated with a mix of glycerine and plant-based components,” says Jayanthi.
Most florists in Chennai buy their flowers from Koyambedu or source it from Bengaluru. “We buy our flowers from Koyambedu or Bengaluru — a hub for flowers. We have to book the flowers in advance for
Valentine’s Day because of the heavy orders from all the florists in south India,” says Surya.