Both men and women love flowers. A woman loves a flower because it represents pure love and a man loves a flower because it provides a secure way for him to express his love. I guess the reason is not that important, what's important is that both sexes are huge fans of the infamous, romantic flower!

I always had a special interest in flowers - their names, fragrances, colors, shapes…you name it, and I wanted to know about it!

The combination of my interest in flowers and desperate search to find innovative ways to romance my life, led me to create a game called ‘The Gardener’s Day’. I know, you’re probably wondering what’s so special about a gardener picking flowers. But what if I told you that the gardener is your man and the flower he’s picking is actually you. Get it? I knew you would. ;-)

To make it simple for you, I've created a manual that contains links to web-sites where you’ll find all the tools you need to make this the wildest experience of your life. So let’s get started.

Manual: ‘The Gardener’s Day’: a romantic game for two

Objectives:
1. To use the power of flowers to explore new ways of looking at love and romance

2. To open our senses to the beauty of simplicity

3. To dig into hidden treasures

4. To experience truly free communication

Parcicipants:
1. You

2. Your loved one

Material:
1. The flower(s) of your choice (as many as you want). To get a few ideas take a look at these two sites: 1-800-FLORALS and Flowerdelivery.com. I use both of these sites quite often and hope that you will find them useful as well.

2. A few index cards

...and...

3. A free spirit with lots of imagination. To understand what I mean when I say 'imagination', take a look at the Virtual Flowers section at 1-800-FLORALS and Precious Flowers at Love is a Rose and Romanceher.

Basics:
A professional gardener knows everything about his plants and flowers. He knows how much to water them, how much direct sunlight they need, and when to prune them.

In this game your loved one is that experienced gardener and you are the most precious romantic flower in his garden.

He's there to take exceptional care of you, however, he first needs to ‘study’ everything about you. And who knows more about you than yourself? Therefore, you, a romantic flower, will have to help him excel at his job. ;-)

Preparation:

1. Creating your personal profile: Before you begin, you first need to answer a few questions:

How would you describe yourself? Write down a few key words that summarize your overall personality. Here are a few examples:

a.Romantic
b.Sensual
c.Traditional
d.Fun
e.Casual
f.Unconventional
g.Trendy

Besides your overall personality, how do you feel today? Think about it. Be honest. The kind of answers I’m looking for are:

a.I feel wild, like… WILD!
b.I feel like a kitty in need of some hugs, kisses, and LOVE!
c.I feel strong, in control, and it’s all about ME!

Are you celebrating a special occasion? Which one?

Add any other details that might be useful for defining a general profile of yourself -- colors that you like; places that you love (mountains, beaches, big cities, etc.); your zodiac sign…and anything else you can think of.

2. Finding a matching romantic flower: Now that you have created your profile, it’s time to find a romantic flower that represents your entire mix of emotions and characteristics. You can begin by exploring the flower's names and flower's fragrances pages of this web site. Everything you ever wanted to know (and more) about romantic flowers will be right at your fingertips.

3. Preparing the ‘course’ material: On each of the index cards, write a word or phrase that describes the romantic flower that you’ve chosen.

For instance, one gardener’s day, I chose to be an orchid. I picked the orchid because on that specific day it represented exactly how I was feeling – romantic, unconventional, sensual, and extremely wild. Also, the orchid's exotic beauty and presence seemed to fit perfectly with my color preferences -- mild shades intertwined like passionate embrases. However, before I made the orchid my final choice, I read more about it, I inhaled it, I touched it and I explored it. Only then was I fully sure that the orchid’s spiritual persona would seamlessly fuse with mine and that it was the right choice for me.

4. Preparing the ‘garden’: Buy the romantic flower of your choice. How many you buy depends on the flower you choose. In my case I couldn’t fill the house with orchids but I did find a ‘creative’ alternative. I bought two beautiful live glazed orchids and enhanced their affect by placing lots of orchid pictures around the house (you can print high quality photos from the internet). I wore matching color clothes and even tried to recreate the orchid look in my face by using make up. That was interesting. :-)

Playing the game:
1. Step-by-Step Plan:I will tell you just one way to play this game. Your imagination may be richer and wilder than mine, so please feel free to create an entirely new set of rules. Actually, I encourage it. But for now, let’s begin by trying my plan:

a. Wait for him; thinking, smelling, looking, and feeling like a romantic flower.

b. Invite him to your garden and walk him through your space enjoying the beauty of the moment.

c. Sit him down and explain to him that you're a romantic flower in desperate need of a gardener's attention.

d. Tell him what kind of flower you are that evening.

e. Ask him what he knows about it, giving him time to express himself.

f. Tell him that you’ll teach him all about it (you) -- the romantic and exquisite flower that you are.

g. At this point, take the cards one by one and start reading them to him. While you do that, explain the story behind each word or phrase. Share what you've learned about that flower.

h. Together find the connection between the story and your personal needs and desires. Take your time getting through this section because here lies the true purpose behind the game – to learn as much as possible about each other.

2. Scoring the players: The score will be based on your mutual evaluation of the following questions:

a. Your score: Did you open-up? Did you tell him all of your needs? Did you freely express how you feel? Did you speak from your heart? Did you hide anything?

b. His score: Was he an open and willing participant? Did he get the message? Did he truly understand his job? Was he paying attention and learning the skills needed to become the experienced gardener that you’re looking for?

As far as I’m concerned, both of you won if you were able to achieve a higher level of intimacy and connectedness. It takes a gutsy pair of idividuals to be more open, honest, and uninhibited with each other...and if it was this silly little game that gave you that extra bit of spunk... I'm thrilled. Once again -- CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WON.

Don’t forget: always water it, prune it, smell it, touch it, and look at it….

Also, if you didn't do it yet, take a look at the following two amazing pages that I’ve created (I deserve a little pat on the back…don’t you think?). They’ll help you find all the information and materials you’ll need to use flowers in the most original and unique of ways.

Flower names: Blossoming interpretations of life:
A flower’s name is much more than just a name. It’s a symbol of the words it wants to speak, the emotions it wants to transmit, and the love it wants to give. Become one with a flower and…

Flower fragrances: An accumulation of memories and emotions:
Experiment with the abundant variations of flower fragrances. Use them to discover your history…embellish your present…and craft your future… Let them guide you through...