Call me an old romantic, but Valentine's Day for me is all about giving and receiving bunches of wonderful, sweetly scented flowers.

At the time of writing, however, I'm gazing out on a white landscape. Apart from a few intrepid snowdrops I'm pressed to see any homegrown candidates for such a posy. I could always dig up and pot a small clump, surround the flowers with moss and wrap ivy round the pot. This makes a much better, personal gift than an expensive bouquet imported from Kenya.

Even if you have precious few flowers in the garden for Valentine's Day, why not plan to grow flowers for cutting from spring onwards? Think of harvesting flowers just like fruit, veg or herbs. They brighten up the house and make a much more personal gift than anything a supermarket or filling station has to offer. And, dare I say it, they're much cheaper. A packet of seed costs a little more than £1, but you could spend £50 or £60 for a delightful bouquet.

There's an almost limitless choice of suitable flowers and foliage plants. Hardy annuals are probably the best bread-and-butter ones, though some perennials and climbers, such as roses and hydrangeas, are worth considering.

Cornflower - Centaurea cyanus - comes in many colours, even if blue is the most commonly available. One worth the effort is the superbly deep crimson Black Ball. Love-in-a- mist, nigella, can have an exciting range of blue, pink and white shades. With clean white petals surrounding deep purple eyes, African Queen is outstanding. The thread-like foliage and captivating seed heads of these plants are a welcome bonus.

I can't help also mentioning honeywort, Cerinthe major Purpurascens. Enjoy its glaucous leaves and purple flowers drooping down from ink blue bracts. And one pot marigold, Calendula officinalis Indian Prince, has particularly vibrant orange flowers.

Shape and stature in a flower arrangement are well served by umbellifers, especially the hugely popular, Ammi majus, whose amazing flower head bears delicate white flowers clustered in a large, almost semi-spherical umbel. If you can't provide the full sun this specimen needs, the perennial sweet cicely, Myrrhis odorata, is a good substitute.

For foliage, perennial euphorbias are the staple plant. An excellent choice is Euphorbia oblongata, which you can treat as a hardy annual. Euphorbia's sap can irritate the skin, but thorow-wax, Bupleurum rotundifolium, which looks very similar, is a safe alternative. You could also try dill, Anethum graveolens, letting it grow on and flower. Later in the summer, why not use fennel flowers? Both herbs have attractive yellowy-green flowers and feathery foliage, which is just what you'll want. Grasses, such as quaking grass, Briza media, work well, too.

For me, though, nothing beats sweet peas. Blooms come from white to almost black, or from pale lavender to deepest purple - in fact, shades to suit any colour scheme. Choose fully scented varieties like my favourite, Painted Lady. Start sowing now and enjoy a full summer's picking.

You can sow flowers for cutting in a border. When adapting an existing border, plant larger groups of annuals, perennials and bulbs suited for cutting. This lets you pick without impoverishing the border. And use spring and autumn-flowering bulbs to extend the picking season.

Ideally, though, if you have enough space, devote a small area exclusively to cut flowers - a flower bed, rather than a veg one. This is a good time to plan your patch and order seed. Seed companies sell seed specifically for cutting and may also sell mixes themed by colour to inspire you. Sarah Raven (sarahraven.com) provides a good range. You can buy plug plants, but beware the price.