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Here! Here!

I have been saying these same things for years!

Here in Northern Canada we're under 4 feet of snow and nothing is growing. So there will be no bouquets of anything for my partner. But she loves sunflowers, so I usually give her an I.O.U and plant sunflowers for her in the summer.

Hallmark is not a fan of my idea. Oh well, they have enough money.

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Planting sunflowers in summer sounds exceptionally romantic - love that idea!

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Brilliant expose. Love it!

Here in Oz of course, being summer you can walk along a street and see roses in every garden and yet, lovers still purchase scentless bouquets of roses from florists.

I love the idea of foraging for flowers and foliage or giving bare-rooted bushes. Easter, Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Valentine's Day are just plots to extend consumerism, surely.

Give me nature in the raw, any day. I'd be just as happy with a wreath made of prunings. And I'll make my hubbie a choccie cake.

Cheers, Dan.

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Of course, things are a little different for our friends in the southern hemisphere! I’m glad the piece still resonated with you. I mean, I would take a homemade choccie cake over a bunch of out of season flowers ANY day!

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Thank you so much for this! Finally I can put a sound argument to my distaste for "roses for valentine's just because that's what everyone does..."

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Feb 18, 2023·edited Feb 18, 2023Author

I agree! I mean, what does it say about the state of our societies that we’ve resorted to romance by herd mentality/peer pressure?

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I never made it a habit to give or hide my indifference to roses for Valentine’s Day. It’s a commercial holiday with shitty candy and (in my opinion) generally insincere shows of affection. Also, are roses really what people want or are they happy they were in someone’s thoughts? There are so many other gifts to get at any time of the year and we choose this.

As a plant mom, all my splurging is yet to come so no need to waste time or money. A bird of paradise is way more grand of a gesture anyway.

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I agree with all of this. And I think you’re right that people are probably just content to be in someone’s thoughts, any day of the year, in which case a handwritten note or packet of their favourite brand of crisps/potato chips is surely as romantic a gesture as a bunch of overpriced and out-of-season roses.

And I must say, a bird of paradise - now THAT is a romantic gift!

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Feb 13, 2023Liked by Dan Masoliver

The usual wit, sweetness and interest. Happy Valentine!

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Thank you!

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