VALENTINE'S DAY - A FLORIST VIEWPOINT

It's been a while since my last post but have been inspired to share what Valentine's Day is all about and what it means to a florist - I hope you find interesting...

So why do we celebrate love on this day? Here’s the quick history - The Feast of Saint Valentine was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on that date in AD 269. The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the "lovebirds" of early spring. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. In Italy, Saint Valentine's Keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver's heart"

Sending flowers for you is our business and maybe understanding that each rose colour has a different meaning will help with your choice this year.

• Red rose – it’s no secret that red roses signify love.  Red is the ultimate when it comes to conveying feelings.  The shade can also communicate passion, which makes sense when you’re in love.  Our favourite red roses are the velvety Naomi and deep red Freedom https://www.bluebellwoodflorist.com/store/p40/dramaticdozen.html

• Lavender (dusky pink)  roses are one of the most romantic hues – besides red of course.  They can signify love at first sight, enchantment, adoration, wonder and fascination. Our choice, and most appropriately named, is the Memory Lane Rose https://www.bluebellwoodflorist.com/store/p175/valentinesredandpinkbouquet.html
   
• Pink rose – means grace and sweetness, gentleness, appreciation, joy, thankfulness and elegance.  We love Sweet Avalanche rose in a delicate pale pink. https://www.bluebellwoodflorist.com/store/p176/Valentinesnotredbouquet.html
   
• Yellow rose – the colour is bright and conveys happy thoughts, so it’s no wonder they showcase positive feelings of warmth.  The yellow rose meaning is often considered that of friendship, positive and amicable bond.  Our favourite is Penny Lane rose. https://www.bluebellwoodflorist.com/store/p177/Valentinesyellowandpurple.html

As florists we often see that the red rose is the main preference of the male buyers and interestingly when we send out posts asking which is preferred by our mainly female followers the pink and lilac come out tops.  It’s wonderful everyone is different – and whichever colour is chosen the sentiment is the same – they are sent with love.

So what is Valentine’s Day like from a florist point of view – I may hear you cry – a lot of money!  Ok so let’s have a look at this.

• As soon as Christmas is over we start planning for Valentines, designs/offers, wrapping, advertising, fb posts, resourcing, looking at last year’s sales and trying to predict this years, updating websites etc.
   
• Valentines sales can be very unpredictable, yes you can review last years but hey who would’ve predicted a pandemic!  Also the sales are mainly driven by male customers who in the main are “last minute.com” – many many apologies to those of you who have already ordered – I can certainly kiss you myself for doing this xxx.  So when pre-ordering our roses, (yes we have to pre-order before anyone has even ordered anything) we have to look at last years orders and last minute walk-ins.  The orders are a certainty, the walk-ins are the risk to us – how many bouquets do you make up – will they come and buy or will you have a huge waste, or do you not make up enough.
   
• So let’s talk about prices: we have already been warned by our wholesalers that prices of red roses are going to be off the scale this year due to rising energy prices (needed to heat greenhouses – especially as it’s been so cold); additional Brexit taxes; less flights from Columbia – yes they can come from there too.  We are strongly recommending customers to buy a mix of red and lilac/dusky pink or mainly pinks to obtain best value.  We are pricing our bouquets at the moment with a huge finger in the air as no guaranteed pricelist is forthcoming yet!
   
• What day is it falls on makes all the difference!  This year it’s on a Monday.  So will people celebrate on the weekend or the Monday – who’s to say, so we have to try and encourage orders to help us plan.  But guess what we will definitely be working hard from Thursday, through the whole weekend to ensure we can cover both eventualities.
   
• We ordered 1000 roses of various colours last year – in addition to this we have all the other flowers that make up the bouquets.  Each rose has to be stripped of its thorns, bottoms cut to allow them to drink before they are ready to make up. Bouquets then are made up and wrapped, cards written, sorted into delivery or collection areas and then delivered which a friendly face and helpful advice.
   
• So after a huge peak in workload and yes income – then comes a few weeks of being quiet – everyone has had flowers – so then you’re profits from Valentines make up the lack of it in the following weeks.  It is an industry of high peaks and low troughs.
   
• Finally just a little question we often get asked “Do florists receive Valentines flowers?” or any flowers for that matter.   We would love to! But many people say “surely you see them every day” or “you can’t buy them from another florist or a supermarket, so how”.  Believe me there is nothing better than receiving flowers, even for a florist.  My advice if by any chance you do want to treat a florist, make friends with one of the team and get them to sort it for you – maybe order for the week before Valentines :)

​I hope you have found this florist viewpoint interesting and however you celebrate on Valentine's Day or any other day of the year I hope we can help you with a beautiful bouquet from Bluebell Wood made by our lovely talented florists -  with love.

Jackie Dean

Bluebell Wood Florist