Many Iowans will be shelling out small fortunes this week to order up bouquets of traditional long-stemmed red roses for their sweethearts on Valentine’s Day. Tim Huff, the owner a flower shop in Webster City, says he expects the price for a dozen roses to rise slightly prior to Thursday.
“They’ve been the same for several years now,” Huff says. “They go up a little bit (in price) this week but that’s to be expected. It’s not quite as bad as the fuel in the gas station. It goes up dramatically.”
Still, if it’s a dozen roses you want, be prepared to pay a premium. Huff’s shop is charging $78 a dozen. While red roses are a hot commodity on this holiday, there are other floral options.
“We have the bulb stock, you have tulips, hyacins and bulb gardens to get everybody in the spring spirit,” Huff says. “If you’re not fond of roses, there’s mixed bouquets of every kind and color — and daisies. We’ve got a lot of them made up.” While Mother’s Day is always hopping for deliveries, Huff says he and his staff will be swamped come Thursday.
“Actually, it’s the busiest day of any of the holidays we do because it’s all pretty much delivered on Valentine’s Day,” he says. February 14th is the second most popular holiday to send cards, behind only Christmas.
One estimate predicts about one-billion cards will be sent for Valentine’s Day worldwide.
By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City