Local florists are working late nights to process this weekend’s rose surge.
Local Florist Rosemary Andrews said preparing for the flower’s busiest day of the year means managing logistics and incoming requests. Staff members are currently organizing their schedules to handle the influx of business leading up to the holiday.
“Well, basically it’s just been waiting on customers coming in and placing their orders and calling on the phone to get their orders in,” Andrews said. “And then we got our first shipment of flowers in this morning so it was a lot of cutting, processing and hydrating this morning.”
Flowers arrive at the shop in the bud stage and require 24 to 48 hours of hydration before they can be used. Andrews said the blooms must open up slightly to ensure they look attractive in the final arrangements.
“So we’ll start working on them, say we’re having deliveries starting from Thursday on, so start working on those tomorrow evening and Wednesday,” Andrews said. “And then we’ll work late on Thursday night and Friday night for the big days.”
Many of the flowers sold locally are Royal brand or Freedom Roses grown in Ecuador. Andrews said these varieties are chosen because they provide a large, full bloom for customers.
Roses are a Valentines Day staple. At least 200 million roses are sold every February in the United States. That’s about 83 percent of all floral sales for Valentines, according to the Society of American Florists.
“Well, I think that it started back in the Roman era, like the goddess Venus,” Andrews said. “That was when it all started. And then in the Victorian era it was more mainstreamed for romance and emotions.”
While the red rose remains the top seller for this holiday, younger generations are beginning to request different colors and specific flower preferences. Andrews said the current trend is moving toward a wildflower or garden-grown aesthetic rather than tight arrangements.
“Yeah, I think if you’re wanting your local florist to make deliveries for you for Valentine’s Day, you better get your orders in before Wednesday because we will have all that we can do by then,” Andrews said. “You might still be able to come in and pick up something, but if you want it delivered then I would go ahead and get your orders in early.”
Valentine’s Day stands as the highest selling day of the year for roses, followed by Mother’s Day.