For students who are looking for something a little bit more original to give to their valentines, the ISU Horticulture Club is offering an alternative to the typical red roses.

The Annual Spring Bulb Sale is running today and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the ground floor of Beardshear Hall.

Megan McConnell, secretary for the club, said the sale will offer a wide variety of different flowers in many colors. The costs of the bulbs range anywhere from $4 to $8.

“Most of them are bulbs, which we grow here on campus, but we also have cyclamen and primula that are grown at Central Iowa Floral in Des Moines, which will be in full bloom,” said McConnell, sophomore in horticulture.

The sale will include tulip, hyacinth, daffodil, iris and crocus bulbs. McConnell said the pink and red tulips are always the first to go.

Preparation for the sale begins in the fall. The bulbs must be monitored until their removal for purchase.

“The bulbs are planted in October and then moved into coolers for the next three months,” McConnell said. “In January, depending on the type of bulb, they are taken out and moved into the greenhouses for a few weeks until growth is visible.”

Club member Julie Beck said the club’s goal is always trying to sell as many bulbs and flowers as possible.

“We pretty much sell out every year,” said Beck, senior in horticulture. “But it usually ends up being flowers that are in bloom that go first. Tulip bulbs are usually the most popular because people are looking for a nice fragrance, but also the crocuses are highly sold.”

Beck said the unsold flowers are donated to care centers and churches around Ames.

The Horticulture Club has a membership of about 40 students who are required to work a minimum of eight hours toward any sale. The club sponsors several sales each semester, and this semester will also feature the Bedding Plants Sale during Veishea weekend, McConnell said.

“This particular sale is helping raise money for the Horticulture Club’s annual trip for the Mid-America Collegiate Horticulture Society [MACHS],” McConnell said. “MACHS is a yearly conference held for all schools [with horticulture clubs] in the Midwest. This year we’ll be traveling to Lincoln, Neb., during spring break.”

Brian Krug, president of the Horticulture Club, said MACHS rotates to different universities nationwide to host the conference.

For more information about the Horticulture Club, call 292-7641.