Local flower shops have holiday options

Kallie Strazdas/Western Herald

Taylor Larson
Western Herald

On Valentine’s Day, if one is going to say anything at all, it should be said with flowers.

Delicate, fragrant and classically romantic, colorful petals attached with sweet sentiments may seem traditional and outdated, but girlfriends will think they are anything but. Below is a full floral guide for every price range and situation­. Flowers sure to bring passion blooming like perennials in no time.

Best Local: Vandersalm’s Flowershop (1120 S. Burdick St. Kalamazoo) Vandersalm’s Flowershop has been operating since 1910 and recently ranked as the Kalamazoo’s favorite florist in the Kalamazoo Gazette’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Carrying everything from traditional pink petals to clear, square vases filled with green cymbium orchids and ti leaves, Vandersalm’s is certainly not lacking in variety.
Prices range from $22.95 for three red roses up to $209.95 for a spectacular three dozen rose display. For those looking for something slightly more unconventional, Vandersalms offers silk and tropical arrangements in addition to the more traditional floral fare. There’s even a guide to meanings behind certain flowers on the company website to add extra thoughtfulness to the bouquet. Certain flowers have established meanings. Buy pansies for tender thoughts, white carnations for pure love and red roses to signify enduring passion. Due to demand, Vandersalm’s recommends placing an order at least one day before Valentine’s Day.

Affordable: Rent is due, book fees for the new semester are sky high and next week is Valentine’s Day. If responsibilities keep mounting and bank accounts keep draining, there’s no shortage of low cost, high quality floral shops that are sure to do the trick.

Ava’s Flowers: Every week, Ava’s offers a selection of beautiful fresh flower bouquets for only $19.99. The flowers are not wilting or long past their prime. Bright, vibrant sunflowers and tall, spiked Birds of Paradise regularly make the top of the list. Ava’s offers more traditional Valentine bouquets, marketing a Red Rose and Calla Lily Bouquet for $40 and a spectacular bundle of two dozen farm fresh red roses for $50. The Hot Deals section of Ava’s website offers even more discounted deals on unique and beautiful arrangements, offering flowers and colors of all different types. Though Ava’s is a national florist, it delivers locally to Kalamazoo, and also directly to Western Michigan University.

Ambati Flowers: (1830 S. Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo) A mere four minutes from campus, Ambati Flowers is convenient and inexpensive. The Thoughts of You Bouquet with Red Roses for $32.95 is the best deal for the price. The bouquet has three vibrant red roses arranged with white wax flower and huckleberry in a clear vase, tied together with red satin ribbon. A frequent best seller is the Be My Love Bouquet with Red Roses. This bouguet is a collection of red roses, white Asiatic lilies and chrysanthemums arranged in a deep red vase for $47.95. Ambati also offers extras to customize the bouquet with Mylar balloons, boxed chocolates and little stuffed bears a few of the available additions.

Seivert’s Floral: (925 S. Burdick St, Kalamazoo) For a more traditional bouquet, Seivert’s offers The FTD Deeply Devoted Bouquet, a single red rose displayed in a red glass bud vase, for $24.99, or The FTD Promised Kisses™ Bouquet, containing a single pale pink rose in the same arrangement, for $19.99. The FTD Deep Emotions Rose Bouquet, for $34.99, is a unique take on the usual rose bouquet, with fuchsia and spray roses in summer sunset hues accented by blades of lily grass in a square, glass vase, giving the arrangement a modern touch. Bouquets at Seivert’s range in price from $19.99 for single roses to $138 for a spectacular pink rose display, but the majority of bouquets are priced between $25 and $60.

Expensive: For those with discriminating taste, or looking to make an impression, the following chronicles Kalamazoo’s finest florists.
Park Lane Florist—(436 S. Burdick Street, Kalamazoo) For a truly outstanding lady, Park Lane Florist offers the Lavish Collection, a list of nine exquisite bouquets, ranging in price from $82.99 to $202.99 for a magnificent display of orchids and lavender roses elegantly arranged in a cone shaped, tropical leave lined vase. Other displays feature brilliant purple orchids, massive bundles of fresh cut roses in a myriad of colors and exotic floral arrangements.

Polderman’s Flower Shop, Greenhouse and Garden: (8710 Portage Road, Portage) This is the shop where things get serious. For $242.95, three dozen long stemmed, ruby red roses come in a flared glass vase, elegantly accented with various greenery. The Rose Rapture for $272.95 buys a striking assortment of what appears to be as many light pink, lavender, and fuchsia roses that could be fit into one square glass vase. For $312.95, a Premium version of the bouquet may be purchased.
Exotic/Unique Creations—If red roses and stuffed toys for Valentine’s Day feel too cliché, try exotic. Featuring vibrant, highlighter hues, funky, twisting vases and playful arrangements, these artful bouquets are anything but pedestrian.

Schafer’s Flowers Inc.—(3274 Stadium Dr., Kalamazoo) Schafer’s provides the typical pink and red rose deal for the day of love, but a few standout pieces can be found among their selection as well. For the environmentalist, the FTD Go Green Bouquet, arranged with vibrant yellow Asiatic lilies and matching Alstroemeria in a biodegradable, eco-friendly vase, is only $39.99. For anyone looking to impress, the FTD Tropical Bright Arrangement ($71.99) is sure to do the trick. Blood orange Birds of Paradise rise above yellow pincushion protea, accented with bright greenery in a thick rectangular vase in this towering display.

Bloomers­—(8801 N. 32nd, Richland, MI) Mounted on a kiwi green square base, the Zen Artistry bouquet is about as untraditional as it gets. A razor cut palm leaf fans out behind a stretch of deep purple orchids and spray of tropical flowers, with long sticks of bamboo serving as a backdrop and living ladder for the orchids to coil around. The basic arrangement is on sale for $42.95, with Deluxe and Premium options available for $52.95 and $62.95, respectively. The upgrades offer the addition of more floras, giving the piece a fuller, more put together look. If flowers themselves seem too typical, Bloomers has just the thing. Money alone may not be enough to buy love, but it can buy a tree that just might return a profit.

The Money Tree ($32.95), also known as a Pachira, is believed to bring good luck to whoever it is given to. This happy little tree, with twisted trunk and bamboo like leaves, sits in the middle of a square black container, sprouting from deerfoot moss and arranged with black and white rocks reminiscent of Zen gardens.

Longjohns Floral Shoppe and Greenhouses—(4038 N. Westnedge Ave, Kalamazoo) Hardy, with an understated, soft beauty, the Be Still My Heart Valentine Bamboo ($39.99) is as decided a departure away from the traditional rose bouquet as the Valentine’s Pachira. Two bright green bamboo stalks entwine in the shape of a heart in a square vase filled with red decorative rocks, creating a unique and tasteful design that’s sure to stand out.

As with most holidays, it’s the thought that counts. However, Valentine’s Day tends to be the exception. Know the person being shopped for, and choose wisely. With all the options listed above, the only hard part will be deciding.