It may cost a little more this year to say it with flowers.
Florists expect to pay more for roses this time of year; growers hold back a portion of their fields to meet the demands of Valentine”s Day. But this year”s costs have been driven up even more, due to rising fuel costs and a rainy growing season.
Some shops are sharing the price increase with customers. Others are absorbing the cost themselves.
“They blame it on the weather, the fuel costs. All this affects the roses, and they are up this year. All flowers are up this year,” explained Bruce Sansing, owner of Noweta”s Green Thumb on Main Street in Columbus.
Most roses are imported from South America, Holland or California, Sansing said, noting Ecuador and Columbia are the two largest distributors of roses.
At Noweta”s, roses are $74.95 per dozen for Valentine”s Day, a $5 increase from last year.
“I”m trying to keep the prices down,” Sansing said.
He anticipates selling 3,000-4,000 roses, including those used in mixed bouquets.
At Ivy Cottage Florist on Wilkins-Wise Road in Columbus, roses are $70 a dozen, the same price as last year.
“The wholesale price did increase, but we are keeping the retail price the same,” said owner Tammy Youngblood, who expects to sell 1,500 roses for the holiday.
Youngblood ordered a “little more” than 1,500 to account for waste and mixed bouquets.
“That”s the nerve-wracking part,” she said of ordering flowers for Valentine”s Day. “You order what you”re brave enough to order and hope it sells.”
At Gift Horse and floral on Gardner Boulevard in Columbus, a dozen roses cost $75.
“(The cost has) gone up because the demand is there, and also our cost from the wholesaler,” said Lisa Whitehead, designer at the flower shop.
Roses for Valentine”s Day cost Gift Horse $35 per bundle (about two dozen flowers); normally, a bundle costs $23-$25, Whitehead said.
Gift Horse ordered 3,000 roses.
House of Flowers and Gifts on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Starkville has lowered its prices on roses this year, in spite of increased costs from its wholesaler.
This year, a dozen roses cost $74.95; last year, the shop charged $79.95.
“Really, times are kind of hard for people, so we just decided to bite the bullet and try to help them out a little bit,” said owner Frances Person.
House of Flowers has sold as many as 1,200 roses in past years for Valentine”s Day.
Colorful arrangements of roses have become popular, Person noted.
In addition to red roses, this year, she ordered blue, lavender, orange, yellow and shades of pink.
Other flowers popular
While roses are the most popular Valentine”s Day fare, florists have other options. And for the frugal shopper, a mixed bouquet can mean half the cost or less of traditional, long-stem roses.
“We also have tropical flowers, mixed bouquets, tulips,” Sansing said. “We just got a shipment of tropical flowers from Hawaii.”
“One thing we”ve noticed is that people are doing more mixed arrangements, which start at about $25,” Person said.
“A lot of the girls around, they like Gerbera daisies, so we are trying to push things like that,” she added.
The Faith Hill collection being heavily advertised in TV commercials is a popular requests this year. Hill”s Valentine”s Bouquet includes a bouquet, designer vase and pendant necklace, and the Look of Love featured white lilies and red roses.
Whatever your choice, florists will be working all day Saturday and Sunday getting orders ready and preparing for the last-minute shoppers.
“We”ll have some ready to purchase,” said Person. “But we do try to encourage ordering in advance.
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