In Slippery Rock, easy access to one of these customary gifts can be found in Carol Warner's Slippery Rock Specialty Florist's shop on Main Street.

Warner is a new business owner and has been invited to teach at the Phipp's Conservatory in Pittsburgh. Among her flowers and other unique gifts in her store, Warner answers questions about flowers and Valentine's Day.


Q: What makes flowers so special for Valentine's Day?

A: Two things, red roses are a symbol of love so Valentine's Day being a focus of love I think it's just one way for a person to show that they care for another person. The other reason is that flowers make you smile. So a person may just want to recognize someone, not necessarily a lover but a friend.


Q: What is the color symbolism of roses?

A: Red roses mean love and passion, white roses mean purity and devotion, yellow roses mean friendship and pink roses mean sweetness. And sometimes I get calls for roses that are their favorite colors like purple or jade.


Q: What other kinds of flowers are appropriate for this occasion?

A: Lilies. I often get orders for a combination of lilies and roses.


Q: Any sweet Valentine's Day stories?

A: A lot of people get engaged on Valentine's Day, I have one [order], he actually brought me in a bracelet that I'm going to wrap around his roses. He's going to hand deliver it, he's not going to have it delivered.