With red roses being the top choice of Valentine’s Day flowers it is little wonder that the lead up to February 14 th is one of the busiest times of the year for florists everywhere. Flower growers spend months growing and cultivating perfectly formed roses in readiness for the biggest demand season for their flowers. The day before Valentine’s Day is the most hectic as preparation for the big day takes up almost all the florists’ time, with deliveries and sales increasing markedly on the day. From stunning single long-stemmed roses to magnificent dozen red rose bouquets, they are still the number one favorite flowers for lovers.
Roses are the most preferred flower on Valentine’s Day
While red roses are clearly the favorite other flowers sell well on February 14 th too. Other colors of roses, along with other varieties of flowers, are also popular, particularly for bouquet flower gifts for people who care about each other but are not in a long-lasting committed relationship. Aside from red roses the top flowers sold at this special time of the year are lilies, gerbera daisies, carnations, and tulips. According to statistics Mother’s Day is the only other event of the year that flowers sell in higher numbers.
Statistics in 2014 report that of all the flowers sold for Valentine’s Day 61% of them were red roses and 27% of them were pink roses. The next largest statistic was mixed flowers at 26%. An interesting statistic was that plants made up 21% of sales.
Interestingly the day of the week that February 14 th falls on impacts the sales of flowers. When it falls on a weekend, florists note that online sales are lower than in years when Valentine’s Day falls during the week, with sales being best when it falls on a Wednesday, Thursday, or a Friday.
It is estimated that some 224 million roses are grown and cultivated for Valentine’s Day. Not surprisingly men are the biggest purchasers of flowers at 73%, but what may be surprising is that 14% of women by flowers and send them to themselves on Valentine’s Day.
Red roses are the symbol of love and passion but other colors of roses are also associated with certain feelings and stages of relationship:
- Red – Love, romance, and passion. The red rose also symbolizes beauty and perfection.
- Pink – Sweetness, joy, and happiness. The pink rose also symbolizes affection and friendship.
- Yellow – Cheerfulness, happiness, and warmth. The yellow rose also symbolizes joy and friendship.
- White – Purity, innocence, and charm. The white rose also symbolizes new beginnings.
- Orange – Energy, enthusiasm, and excitement. The orange rose also symbolizes passion within a relationship.
- Lavender – Enthusiasm, enchantment, and eagerness. The lavender rose is a nice way of saying I love you and have high hopes for the relationship.
- Salmon – Desire, passion, and romance. The salmon rose is a great way to tell someone that you want them.
- Peach – Appreciation, gratitude, and thankfulness. The peach rose is a nice way of telling someone that you appreciate them and are grateful for their friendship and help.
- Cream – Thoughtfulness and charm. The cream rose also given as a thank you gesture.
- Green – Life, growth, and energy. The green rose symbolizes rejuvenation of the spirit.
Just as the colors of roses have different meanings so too can the number of roses given at any one time.
- Single – Devotion or a ‘thank you’ token.
- Two – Marry me!
- Six – Need to be cherished or loved.
- Eleven – Deep and abiding love.
- Thirteen – Secret admirer.
Though you would expect that local growers would be supplying your nearby florist shops but in actuality a whopping 82% of flowers are imported from countries like Kenya, the Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK, Switzerland and Japan as well as some smaller countries. Given the huge number of flowers that are given to loved ones on Valentine’s Day it is not surprising that local growers are unable to keep up with the demand.
Other interesting facts and statistics about flowers for Valentine’s Day:
- 1 in 4 shoppers will buy flowers for their loved one, half of those being spouses
- 40% of the Valentine’s Day flowers sold are red roses
- Flowers are the third most popular gift coming in after lingerie and chocolates
- Over $2 billion will be spent on Valentine’s flowers every year
Regardless of whether you are in love and want to shower your sweetheart with gifts, including the favorite, traditional gifts of greeting cards, flowers and chocolates, flowers are such a beautiful way to tell a person that you enjoy their company and friendship. They are also a nice gesture of thanks. Roses are by far the most popular flower for Valentine’s Day and are not limited to red. Pink, yellow, white, cream and orange are also popular colors and when mixed with other flowers make a bouquet that tells the recipient that they are appreciated very much.