Which plants to give for Valentine's Day?

Roses, yes... but rather rose bushes with bare roots, ready for planting

If there is one plant that symbolises love with a capital L, it’s the rose. So give roses on Valentine’s Day, of course! But rather than a bouquet that will last a week, give a far more lasting gift: a rose bush to plant in the garden or in a pot. February is still a good time.

The red roses are the most popular with lovers. However, the pink roses, the white roses and the charm of English roses and old roses are ultra-romantic safe bets.
As a nod to Valentine’s Day, why not be tempted by the climbing rose ‘Guirlande d’Amour’ with its small, delicately semi-double white flowers? Or by the dwarf rose ‘Lilliputs Flirt’, a soft pink, suitable for garden or terrace?

Discover our selection of bare-root roses!

→ Find out more about the language of roses in this article. Also discover some of our new rose introductions from autumn 2025.

Climbing rose ‘Guirlande d’Amour’, dwarf rose Lilliputs ‘Flirt’ and old rose ‘Jacques Cartier’

Plants with evocative names…

If you set your heart on a flower or plant whose name breathes love? Many varieties and plants have pet names that will not leave your suitor or admirer unmoved…
Some of the most suggestive :

• Clematis such as Clematis ‘Mon Amour’, Clematis ‘My Darling’ or Clematis ‘Green Passion’ (clematis symbolises romantic desire)
• Hydrangeas from the Rebellion range such as ‘Red Love‘, shifting from pistachio green to a deep rose-red, or ‘Choco Love‘
• Gauras that will flower for many months, such as Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush‘ and ‘Passionate Rainbow‘
• Love grass, Eragrostis by its Latin name, an especially beautiful, airy ornamental grass
• A Cordyline with pink and purple tones, Cordyline australis ‘Pink Passion’, suited to exotic gardens or terraces
• The Gladiolus ‘Mon Amour’, yellow, ivory and mauve
• The Asian lily ‘Tresor‘, in a striking bright orange
• Pieris japonica ‘Passion’, a superb pieris with pale pink flowers, for heather soil and semi-shade
• Japanese azalea ‘Hot Shot’, also for beds in semi-shade and acidic soil. In the language of flowers, azalea signifies sincere love.
• Why not a beautiful summer-flowering shrub such as the crape myrtle ‘Braise d’été’, with superb pink blooms and autumn colouring? Or the Lagerstroemia ‘With Love Babe‘ or ‘Eternal With Love‘?
• Catananche, commonly called Cupid’s dart, which blooms gracefully in blue or white
• A superb peony in soft pink such as ‘Morning Kiss‘ (morning kiss)
• A hardy waterlily with a pretty name such as Nymphea ‘Eros’, for small or large ponds
• carnation Mignardise called ‘Romeo’, delicately edged in white, perfect for very sunny positions
• A shrub to complete a hedge, such as Elaeagnus umbellata ‘Amoroso’, which charms with its silvery foliage, cream flowers and edible fruits
• And finally, a very handsome water iris, Iris ensata ‘Darling’, in a lovely lilac shade, or the garden iris ‘Hello Darling’, bicolour with subtle pastel tones.

Cupid’s dart, Asian lily ‘Tresor’, peony ‘Morning Kiss’, Clematis ‘Green Passion’ and garden iris ‘Hello Darling’

Passion flowers

Although that kind of passion historically has nothing to do with intense romantic feeling, a vine like this cannot fail to charm lovers of atypical climbing plants. passion flower, or Passiflora caerulea is the hardiest of all, able to establish itself in many gardens.

Exuberant, passionflowers, as they are also called, need space, a sunny, preferably sheltered position given the low hardiness of some varieties. Choose from sumptuous white blooms, but also blue, mauve or violet and even red or bicoloured…

Find out more about passionflowers, their history and how to grow them in our complete guide: Passionflower: planting, growing, pruning.

Passiflora caerulea, Passiflora ‘Snow Queen’ and Passiflora ‘Michaël’

Plants with strong symbolism

In the language of flowers, many express romantic feelings. Beware, however, of flower colour, which can sometimes convey quite different nuances of love, darker colours generally being associated with passion :

• Fuchsia : ardent love
• Carnation : tender love and purity of feelings when white, but when red it becomes synonymous with deep love
• Violet : passionate love
• White lily : pure love
• Red tulip : a declaration of love.

Violets, carnation ‘Romeo’ and oriental lily ‘Casablanca’

A tree as a symbol of love

Declare your love on Valentine’s Day and anchor it in time : a tree or shrub that will grow in the garden is undoubtedly one of the most emotionally powerful gifts.

Acer ginnala or Amur maple

Amur maple is a very handsome, uncommon shrub with many qualities: a spreading habit, finely cut foliage that turns blazing in autumn, and hardiness to spare (… Amur River separates China from Siberia). It can even fit into a small garden thanks to its modest dimensions.

Amur Maackia

Finally, also worth mentioning is Maackia amurensis, another little-known species that fits easily into large sunny gardens. This handsome tree gradually develops an increasingly parasol-shaped silhouette, is often offered as coppice shoots (multiple stems from ground level), and produces very melliferous white flowers in clusters in mid-summer. Its bark peels as it ages.

Maackia amurensis and Acer ginnala (photo Wikimedia Commons)