Those with the penchant to give their love express it in many different ways. Some go for exquisite gems and jewelry, some go for nice outfits or occasions. Others simply say it with flowers, the favored implicit form of expressing love and thoughtfulness — the more expensive, the more impressive, the better.

The local market demand for flowers during the month of February gets huge that the country has no choice but to import some cut flowers from abroad, said Luben Marasigan, officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Plant Industry, Quarantine Division, Department of Agriculture at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). "This is strongly apparent during Valentine’s Day."

"These delicate flowers will be flown in by commercial airlines in the coming days," Marasigan said.

An inspection fee of R500 for a minimum of 50 kilos and R10 for every extra kilo is being charged by their office on top of customs duties and taxes before the flowers are released to their brokers.

Roses, tulips, chrysanthemums and carnations constitute the bulk of cut flowers the country imports from Australia, Holland and Malaysia.

Almost half of the flowers come from Holland, Marasigan said.

The country also imports flowers from New Zealand, Singapore, the United States and Thailand.

Gina Galang, proprietress of Royal Flower Shop, said prices for imported flowers inevitably double, and in some instances, triple during Valentine.

"Sending flowers is all about impressing your love one and on special occasions you have to spend hard-earned money to do it," she said.

"Some would buy a bouquet of expensive, exotic Holland tulips while others splurge on a floral arrangement of 100 pieces or more of readily available farm fresh roses," she said.

A bundle of 10 Holland tulips arranged in a bunch or in a vase will cost around R2,000 to R2,500, while you will have to shell out some R1,500 to R2,500 for a bouquet of either African daisies, liliums or carnations, Galang said.

The ever reliable roses would sell for around R250 to as high as R350 a piece.

She said hybrid teas are familiar to the average person and these roses are seen most often in gardens. "They are ideal for flower vases, decorations corsages, bouquets, and for giving."

These long-stemmed flowers come in almost endless varieties. They come in timeless hues of red, white, peach, yellow and varying shades of pink to uncommon colors like coral orange, multi-colored "vanilla", white roses with red edges, and even roses minus the thorns.

There are also "blue" roses or actually specially selected young, white buds that are cut from the plant and cultivated in an indigo dye solution so that the blue color can grow into the petals, as well as the leaves and stems.

Roses come in a wide range of colors, each one has a different meaning, she said. "It sends a hushed, yet extremely significant message from the sender to receiver."

Red means love, beauty, courage and respect while white stands for purity and innocence, silence or secrecy, also reverence and humility.

Pink signifies appreciation, gratitude, grace, perfect happiness, and admiration and light pink suggests admiration, sympathy.

Yellow implies joy, gladness, friendship, delight, the promise of a new beginning.