The best flowers for different occasions -

Valentine's Day means lots of love and plenty of flowers. But there are many other reasons to offer up a bouquet of flowers to a friend, relative, or loved one. In fact, there are flowers for all sorts of different occasions. 

Browse this gallery and learn how to say what you mean with flowers.

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Valentine's Day - Roses in various shades of red symbolize love—of the everlasting kind!

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Valentine's Day - Is your loved one refined and graceful in looks? Well, elegance is symbolized by pink roses. But these lovely flowers enrich anybody's life.

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Valentine's Day - Be careful with yellow roses. Presented on their own, these blooms symbolize friendship, not love.

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Valentine's Day - However, the perfect compromise is to present a bouquet of yellow roses with red tips—an expression of both love and joy.

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Valentine's Day - Just met? In that case, seal a burgeoning love affair with a kiss and a bunch of purple roses, a flower associated with enchantment.

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Valentine's Day - Been together forever? If roses aren't your thing, you can always offer up pink tulips.

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First date - Flowers presented on a first date should not be overwhelming—this is not the time for brash statements. Break the ice slowly with tulips.

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First date - Dandelions are also attractively neutral and are in no way intimidating.

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First date - A slightly more sophisticated flower, orchids are nevertheless perfect for your new object of affection.

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Mother's Day - A date when all moms should be pampered and fussed over, Mother's Day is a great excuse to offer up something special. Gerbera daisies are especially celebratory.

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Mother's Day - You can't go wrong with pink carnations...

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Mother's Day - ... and a bunch of pink roses will also induce plenty of heartfelt thanks.

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Mother's Day - Yellow lilies radiate joy and affection and, remember, you can always combine several blooms to create a bouquet any mother in your life will appreciate.

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Spring anniversary - Seasonal flowers go best with anniversaries, with Mother Nature largely dictating the choice. If you're celebrating in spring choose pale, delicate flowers. The peony is ideal.

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Spring anniversary - The cherry blossom is another elegant and dainty spring flower.

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Spring anniversary - Similarly, a bouquet of peach blossom is guaranteed to seduce the senses of a friend, relative, or loved one.

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Summer anniversary - Summer flowers by definition are bright and vibrant. Yellow roses radiate warmth and vitality.

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Summer anniversary - What better than a flower that's the epitome of summer, the sunflower! A bouquet of these magnificent blooms can turn rain into gold dust.

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Autumn anniversary - Autumn brings with it a riot of darker but richer hues. Lilies work well this time of year.

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Winter anniversary - Winter sees the seasons turn full circle. Flowers blooming this time of year include chrysanthemums.

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Winter anniversary - Strikingly colorful against brooding skies and an impeding chill, pansies make for a delightful winter anniversary bouquet.

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Thank you - Looking for a way to express your gratitude to a colleague or good friend? Say it with yellow carnations. Better still, inquire as to their favorite flower and present a bouquet accordingly.

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Thank you - White carnations work well here too. Pale in color and not in anyway overbearing, these flowers easily sum up acknowledgement and gratefulness.

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Get well soon - Know someone bed-ridden in the hospital? Bring them in a bunch of irises to brighten the place up.

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Get well soon - Marigolds represent resilience and help boost the will to recover.

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Get well soon - Bright and cheery, yellow flowers—for example, daffodils—represent rebirth and can prompt a speedy recovery.

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Funeral - One yellow bloom that is definitely not a get well soon flower is the yellow daylily, which represents the soul leaving the body.

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Funeral - Cultural norms often dictate the suitability of flowers for funerals. Blooming chrysanthemums color funerals and grave sites in many European countries but are not prevalent in the United States and Britain, where they symbolize longevity and rebirth.

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Funeral - White flowers such as white lilies represent a celebration of life in spite of bereavement and mourning.

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Sympathy - Purple and blue flowers are associated with hope and rebirth. Blue lilies are often sent in sympathy of a life lost.

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Sympathy -

Bright flowers including daisies are also recommended as a mark of sorrow and pity.

See also The world's strangest and deadliest flora.

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