The rose by any other name would smell as sweet, according to the Bard, but would Valentine’s Day be the same without the almighty red rose?

While the red rose does symbolize love, there are a whole bunch of other flowers out there that convey a wide range of emotion and expression.

Alison Hull, the owner of Lemon Halo, a flower shop in Bend, says that giving a loved one something besides the typical ”red roses in a vase with baby’s breath” might send a great message.

”If I received a fairly untraditional bouquet for Valentine’s Day, I’d think they tried harder. It would say that this person loves me so much that they custom-designed a bouquet just for me,” she said.

The Victorians were all over that concept.

According to the Web site victorianbazaar.com, flowers and herbs were given various meanings over the centuries by many different cultures. ”Floriography” is the language of flowers, and the Victorians were masters at using flowers, plants and herbs to send messages of interest, love, passion, disdain – you name it.

In the true, convoluted Victorian style, flowers had a silent meaning of their very own, and could say what was not dared to be spoken aloud. Even the manner in which flowers were sent had meaning: a flower presented in an upright position indicated a positive thought, an upside-down flower was negative. A person could say ”yes” by offering a flower with the right hand; the left hand meant ”no.”

The intrigue of the secret message passed by a small bundle of flowers became a popular pastime for the folks of the late 1800s. Today, we can borrow a page from history and use different flowers to convey emotion.

A woman who wants to tell a man that she is faithful could give him a bird of paradise. Want to tell a beloved that your heart burns with love and that it will endure? Offer them a cactus. Really can’t stand someone? Cheerfully give them a bunch of basil, expressing your hatred.

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme would say that you have a feast (parsley) of activity (thyme), esteem (sage) and affectionate remembrance (rosemary) for a particular someone.

Show deep fascination by giving an asparagus fern.

Celebrate a friend’s single life by offering a bunch of bachelor buttons, signifying celibacy.

Save some money on flowers by giving spicy-smelling pink carnations, expressing admiration. Give white carnations to tell someone they are sweet and lovely. But pity the person who offers the red roses in a vase with baby’s breath (I passionately love you with purity of heart), and receives a striped carnation in response (Nope. Sorry. Refusal.)

Tulips have some sexy things to say. In general a tulip tells someone they are a perfect lover. A red tulip is a declaration of love. Specifically say to a person with that they have beautiful eyes by giving a variegated tulip of any color.

Sunflowers can be tricky. Give a tidy, little short-stemmed sunflower to express adoration. Mess up and present one of those tall, long-stemmed babies and the meaning changes to haughtiness, not exactly a Valentine’s Day sentiment.

And the little primrose, freshly available in local stores, will tell the right person, ”I can’t live without you.”

This Valentine’s Day, break out of the red rose rut, and explore the language of flowers. A great Web site for a listing of flower meanings is www.gardencards.biz

Katrina Hays can be reached at kmhays1@earthlink.net.