How to Decorate your Garden for Valentine's Day

February is almost upon us yet again. For many of us living in the northern regions, we have to endure roughly 2 or 3 months of winter weather. From frigid temperatures to devastating blizzards and piles upon piles of snow, many of us might be sick of staring at the fluffy white flakes interrupting our morning commute or feeling like we have shape-shifted into polar bears under layers of clothing. February, for most of the northern hemisphere, usually marks the last (hopefully) month of winter weather. This, however, is not the main reason for why many of us are looking forward to February. Grab your chocolates and roses and get ready for a kiss as Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!

Although it’s not an official holiday, Valentine’s Day is still a favourite festive moment on many people’s calendars. As a kid, I had developed a hypothesis that stated the reason why Valentine’s Day fell in a winter month was in order for people to keep warm by spreading the love! Everybody needs a little love either from a friend, family member or partner. Likewise, do you know who else in your life needs a little love as well? Your garden of course! So, here is a guide on how to decorate your garden for Valentine’s Day.

Hearts

Even though the shape of the popular cartoon heart does not at all resemble what an actual, anatomically correct heart looks like, it’s cute. Also, the shape of the popular culture heart, which is two round humps that are pinched in together on top and connected by two diagonal lines into a downward point on the bottom, in without a doubt, a universal symbol of love as well as Valentine’s Day everywhere in the world. That being said, there are many ways in which you can incorporate this lovable shape into your decorations this Valentine’s Day. Cutting these shapes out of paper or some other carve-able medium is fun and is a super easy as well as a cheap craft to do. You can try to make paper heart chains to hang on your fences or cut out large hearts and string them around your garden or from a tree if you happen to have one, with red and pink ribbons to create a romantic vibe to your garden.

Roses

These gorgeous flowers are a great gift for a loved one on any day but they are especially favoured on arguably the most romantic day of the year! Almost all flowers can send a message that means love but roses have stood the test of time and have gained the title of the flower that most represents feelings of love and romance. Roses can come in any colour of the rainbow as well black and white. This being said, red and pink roses seem to be the most favourite and common colours. Roses are living things, as they should be remembered, and will not fare well in the coldness of your garden. Therefore, you will need to find another use for these beautiful flowers. For instance, you can never go wrong with placing fresh cut or plastic versions of these flowers in vases, pails, or anything else that will display the roses in all of their glory. Also, feel free to make a wreath from roses and hang it up somewhere in your garden. In addition, rose petals themselves can make a gorgeous addition to your Valentine’s Day decorations so feel free to scatter a handful of the rose petals here and there.

Cupid
Who doesn’t love a baby with wings shooting arrows in people’s rear ends? Cupid, also known as his ancient Greek name of Eros, was the ancient Roman god of sex, love, and romance. An interesting fact, however, is that as the popular culture image of the heart that I have mentioned earlier, the original godly image of Cupid did not look like how we depict him today. On the contrary, this version of the wigged, arrow shooting, the diaper-clad baby is much cuter, so the population of the world prefers to stick to this image of Cupid instead during this festive day. There are many ways in which you can incorporate the image of Cupid into your Valentine’s Day decorations for your garden. For example, there are many posters bearing his image as well as paper or plastic cutouts of his half-naked body in all of its glory. These decorations can easily be found in an arts and crafts store, dollar store, or even through a print out a template that you can find for free online so go ahead and hang one up or two here and there in your garden. If you are really adventurous, in addition, you can try to find a three dimensional model of Cupid made of clay, plastic, fabric, or some other medium, to place anywhere in your gardens such as on a pedestal, table or in place of your usual scarecrow or garden gnome.