There are just some things that are synonymous with Valentine’s Day. We’ve already covered gifts and will get to candy, so as you will soon see, this is all about the flowers.
Talk to any of the local flower shops, and you’ll quickly realize it’s their busiest couple days of the year. So if you’re thinking about getting a bouquet for that special someone, a family member or the person you’d like to be your special someone, we suggest getting on the ball soon, because the longer you wait, the harder it may be to get exactly what you want.
“It’s the busiest one-day holiday,” said Cobblestone co-owner Brad Towne.
“We typically start preparing around Thanksgiving,” said D. McLeod Florist owner Fred Keach.
That’s not to say you can’t walk into a place like Cobblestone Design, Cole Gardens or McLeod’s on the big day and walk out with a beautiful arrangement, but we suggest planning ahead. It makes things a lot easier on everyone.
The perfect ones
When it comes to putting together the an arrangement, some people know exactly what they want, while others need a little – or a lot – of help.
For those of you who already have the colors and flowers planned out in your head, good job. But after checking in with the experts, it’s pretty clear that not everyone knows what they want.
“You definitely want to find out who it’s going to,” Keach said.
You can play it safe and go for the traditional dozen roses, which come in all kinds of color options. But not everyone likes roses, and that’s why florists stock up on a wide variety of species available.
“If you call ahead, you’ll make sure to get the best available,” said Charlie Cole of Cole Gardens
There’s a couple questions that can help get the ball rolling. First is how much the person wants to spend. Once that’s established, they usually want to know about colors. Do you want the more traditional Valentine colors – red, pink, white – or something with more splash. Those who don’t want roses, can find some pretty exotic and bright flowers to pair together.
“You really want to get a feel for what the sender wants,” Towne said.
Flower shops always have some arrangements done up for purchase – but also to use as inspiration.
“People know what they want when they see it,” Keach said. “What we sell is such a visual thing.”
You can also just give them carte blanche to do what they do best.
“The designers want to be creative, so it makes it fun for them,” Cole said.
So if you’re not sure what you want to give, take a little time to think about it. Or better yet, start doing a secret investigation. It will be a lot easier when you get there because trust us, you want to get this one right.
Delivery
Since Valentine’s Day is the busiest one-day holiday in the flower business (just ahead of Mother’s Day and Christmas), you can imagine just how chaotic it can get.
That’s why planning ahead is the best way to go. If you know you want to make a splash by sending a delivery, you’ll want to call a few days in advance, just to make sure you get exactly what you want, when you want it.
“We’ll make it unique,” Cole said.
A good rule of thumb is to place you order at least three or four days in advance. The local spots will be making hundreds of deliveries the day before and day of, bringing in extra designers and drivers to make sure they have enough.
“For us, the earlier the better,” Towne said. “We get a lot of phone calls. Even that morning is crazy.”
And since it falls during the week, those numbers will be on the high end because sending a nice bouquet to your Valentine’s office sure is a nice touch.
“With Valentine’s Day, we do about 50 times what we do in a typical day,” Keach said. “So we’ll be running around with out heads cut off.”
Other options
While flowers are great, you don’t have to just get the cut variety in a vase.
Flowering plants are always great for those who want a more long lasting gift, and one that will spruce up the house.
Cole Gardens puts together herb baskets, euro gardens and ones with succulents, cactus and all kinds of little plants that you might not think of go well together.
“They can last a long time,” Cole said.
If your Valentine happens to be your daughter or niece, a fairy garden is also a great choice.
