It's V Day next Thursday... that time when smitten couples stroll hand in hand, smooch over supper and cause singletons and old-marrieds to stay at home to avoid the lust crush.

Ah, yes, Valentine's Day - when a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do: buy his sweetheart flowers.

Forget trinkets and It bags, your absolute, definite must-do is to front up with something floral so your loved one can brandish a garnish to show the world that she has a Significant Other.

While your girlfriend will definitely say thanks a bunch, choosing the right flowers is a thorny task.

That old standby, a dozen romantic red roses, is a reliable choice, usually. Still, what if your girlfriend prefers a more personalised sort of petal?

Indeed, increasingly more customers want bouquets that are outside of the box, say florists Urban spoke to, including Simply Flowers, Pollen, Far East Flora, Fiore Dorato and Woodsville Florist (see story on facing page).

To cater to this demand, some are using unusual types of green foliage filler, customised floral arrangements and creative wraps.

Others like Simply Flowers cater to frill-seekers - it has collaborated with lingerie company Simply Intimate (no connection) to provide hand bouquet gift packages named Simply Naughty and Nice.

Each package contains a lingerie set from Simply Intimate's Passion or Desire collection, as well as a hand bouquet of six crimson roses wrapped in velvet. Prices stand at $149 for the Passion package and $169 for the Desire package.

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According to Simply Flowers owner Jane Lim, the response has so far been 'pretty good'.

Another producing bouquets with a difference is Fiore Dorato, which uses flowers imported from Holland such as achillea and trachelium as fillers for bouquets rather than the usual baby's breath, caspias and forget-me-nots.

'We also incorporate detailed work and secondary elements such as ribbons and beads to complement our exotic flowers and fillers,' says Brenda Lee, in her 30s, co-founder of Fiore Dorato.

And the floral flair trend continues at Woodsville Florist, which custom-makes all its bouquets.

Its sales coordinator, Calista Ae'sha, 23, says: 'We give customers the flexibility of choosing within their budget, and also advise them on what flowers to pick.'

The trend gets the thumbs-up from male customers like Ho Soo Kiang, a 24-year-old pilot, who says: 'The packaging of the bouquet should be unique because it's a show of your sincerity and appreciation for your girlfriend.'

He is willing to spend up to $100 on an elaborately designed bouquet, rather than buy a simple one that has just a few stalks of roses.

However, florists say that while there are customers who ask for bouquets and arrangements with more unusual flowers, such as hydrangeas and eustomas, most still go for roses, and red roses at that.

Demand for rose bouquets during the run-up to Valentine's Day jumps three or four times that of normal days, they say, with prices as much as doubling during the annual love fest.

Why roses? Sarah Yong, 28, senior manager of FarEastFlora.com says: 'Nothing expresses love or romance more appropriately than the rose.

'This has been the case ever since Victorian times, when the rose was termed the messenger of love.

'Most of the buyers are males who tend to stick to safe choices. Not wanting to make a mistake on this important day, roses are still the best and only choice for many.'

Similarly, Simply Flowers' Lim notes that 70 per cent of her customers prefer to buy roses for their special one on Valentine's Day. And of these, 85 per cent ask for red roses.

Lim, 33, says: 'Red speaks for those who are madly in love and who wish to express their passion.'