Mention Valentine's Day and thoughts of love, greeting cards, chocolates and long stemmed red roses come to mind. It's that one day of the year where people are encouraged to show their love – sometimes to people who had no idea they were the object of someone's affection! For a long time, roses have been the traditional flower to give on Valentine's Day, but how did this bloom become the flower of choice for the day when people profess their love to one another?

Some people say that the red rose is so popular on Valentine's Day because of the deep, rich, intense colours the bloom gives, similar to that of a red love heart. Some also say that red rose symbolizes passion, courage, sincerity, desire and trust – all the ingredients that make for a great relationship. There's even a joke that talks about lovers being similar to a red rose – beautiful to look at but sometimes prickly!

Dubbed the "flower of love", the rose is one of the most well recognised flowers in the world. The word rose is said to have originated from the Latin word 'rosa' meaning red. The flower has been used for its beauty and fragrance since ancient times.

In Cleopatra's palace, the floors were carpeted with delicate red rose petals. Confucius also had a strong appreciation for the rose. He had a library with over 600 books on how to grow and care for roses. The Persians used roses to make fragrant oils and in Kashmir, the Mughal emperors grew rose gardens and used the petals on the city's rivers to welcome soldiers when they returned from war. Even back then, men used roses to impress women and show affection.

Whichever way you look at it, the rose is the most popular flower for Valentine's Day and for lovers in general. Florists say that Valentine's Day is by far their busiest day of the year and the day's sales make up 40% of their annual turnover. The demand for roses on Valentine's is hard to believe and takes a lot of preparation on the florists' part. To make sure they are ready for this eventful day, florists start to prepare 2 months before hand and growers even earlier.

Maybe it's the colour, fragrance, how it was used in olden days, or just because people like the way the rose looks that has made it so popular over the years. Regardless of the rationale, the rose truly has become the perfect flower to express those loving feelings on Valentine's Day. Just make sure that the order for Valentine's Day roses are put in extra early to stay in the good books!