Beating the floral price hike on Valentines Day

23 Jan Beating the floral price hike on Valentines Day

For hundreds of years the red rose has appeared in paintings, poetry and songs and symbolises love and passion. ?It has become somewhat of a tradition all over the world to send red roses to say ‘I love you’.

So why does it cost so much for red roses on Valentines Day?

The price of red roses on Valentines is driven by economics. ?As the demand is high the supply needs to match. ?Take some time to think about how these stunning blooms arrive in your hands on Valentine’s Day. ?It starts with the grower. ?Growers need to hold off on production weeks before the one day they are required. ?At market this week I noted there were no red roses for sale and it is still 4 weeks before Valentines Day. ?The grower needs to cut off many rosebuds to create a long stemmed rose, therefore loosing stock that they once could have sold. ?There is an increase of staff required to harvest the large number of blooms all becoming ripe for the picking at the same time. ?There are extra coolstore costs for holding stock prior to sale and increased distribution and transport costs at this peak time. ?These costs are passed onto the florist at the wholesale market.

After market florists work around the clock preparing the flowers for sale and therefore have increased staffing costs and delivery costs at this time too. ?This making your wallet significantly lighter after your red rose purchase.

So how do I beat the price hike on Valentine’s Day?

Simple, pick anything other than long stemmed red roses! ?There are so many beautiful options available to you in summertime. ?Dahlia’s have arrived this week in a big way and such a trendy bloom right now. ?The classic hydrangea is always stunning. ?Check out the structural pineapple lilly for those that like a little quirky. ?White roses, pink roses any other coloured roses will be a bit cheaper than red!

Your florist is currently trying to work out how many bunches they will need as our wholesalers are trying to establish their requirements from growers.

If you have your heart set on red, make sure you order early and be confident you will have your flowers for the big day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!