If you're planning a really special romantic date then you need flowers, rose petals, chocolates, champagne, jewellery and YOU!

Rose petals make valentines day special and very memorable

What to do with rose petals?

If he's going to be home after you then lay a trial of them starting from the front door, up the stairs to the bedroom. He'll get the hint.

Colours of petal - red is really romantic.

You could spread them out on the bed, over the pillow, trailing them from the door to the bed, surrounding a small gift,

They're romantic! You can place them on the dining table if you're having a meal, freeze them in ice cubes and use in a vase as a decoration.

If she's got a favourite book then you can place a few in the pages in tissue paper for a nice surprise bookmark

If you're proposing you can fill a chocolate box with them and bury the ring it in.

You could lay them out in a pattern or writing spelling out that special I love you message

What to do with them after?

Dry them if they're fresh, put them in a jar as pot pourri, fill the pages of a favourite book with them. Lay them out on a windowsill to dry.

On Sarah Beeney's program some woman once glued loads to the wall at the top of the stairs. Sarah predicted people would just pick them off!
You could glue them to a canvas though, write your names in them and stick them on.

Things to consider when buying rose petals

Where are you using the rose petals? If you're using them outside then it would be better to use real petals as they will naturally biodegrade.

If you're worried about them arriving in time buy freeze dried and they will last plenty of time.

Silk petals may well be cheaper and if you're planning on using a lot of them then you will probably need to consider the cost.

Rose petals can be strewn along the aisle as weddings - use about 100 petals per square foot for dense spread and less for less dense. Flower girls can distribute them walking up the aisle too.