Valentines Buying Tips

When comparing and purchasing your roses remember to check  with the florist what variety and length of rose you are purchasing, the price is reflected in these 2 main options.  Some of the more popular rose varieties and their length are shown in the table below. The higher grade and length the more expensive, dont be fobbed off with "yes they are long stemmed roses" check which variety, length.. if below 70 cm then you are going to see a major decrease in the size of the rose head.  Once you go below 60cm then you may as well visit the garage forecourt.

Remember to check if your bouquet comes with foliage and style of packaging, when ordering long length good quality rose in our experience you should go with a classic bouquet to avoid the need for the florist to "cut down" the stems of the rose in a hand tied or hand tied in water.  

We will be supplying  Red Naomi  at 80 cm or 70 cm depending on price from our Dutch supplier.  Prices change constantly in the auction due to demand which is why we cannot give you a definate grade until 2 days before Valentines day.  One thing you can be certain of,  they will be the best quality rose we can obtain at a reasonable price.

Why do roses cost more on Valentine's Day?

The simple answer to this is supply and demand.

But here is a little more in-depth answer if you are interested.

• Growers need to pinch back their crops in order to time them to be ready for mid February. This leads to a  period of lost production and income for the grower, which they revover by upping the price of the next crop.
• The amount of labour to harvest all these roses triples for the valentine's day crop. These extra labour charges are also passed along.
• The short days and cold temperatures add to the energy costs needed to produce premium blooms.
• Transportation costs also increase. Most of the roses used today in the UK are imported are imported from Ecuador and Columbia. There is such a high demand for the holiday that theere is often not enough time to wait for a return load and cargo planes return empty to pick up the next shipment of roses. The additional freight needed to move all these blooms is reflected in the price.
• We all want the BEST! a real florist is ordering their roses a month or more ahead of time. We know the variety and grower who has the best performing flowers and we are all basically bidding on them to make sure we can offer the best quality. This is where you can see a fluctuation of pricing from one place to another.  A reputable florist can't offer a deal on roses on Valentine's Day, A place that does has probably bought the seconds and thirds that no decent florist wanted to take.

How do you get the most for your money ?

• Order Local!
• Order Early!
• Send a mixed arrangement to include roses
• Take good care of your investment, change the water and recut the stems every couple of days.

When only roses will do, we will have them and they will be spectacular!

Expect a fresh arrangement of roses to last at least a week or more