Don’t forget those special flowers for your special someone

By Jazmine Knight

Valentine’s Day is just days away, and local florists are encouraging people to not wait any longer to order flower arrangements for their significant other.

Local flower shop owner Stacy Fisher says the Valentine’s Day surge has already begun. However, she and her team at Garden Gate Flowers have been preparing since October.

“We have been seeing a surge of phone calls for the last week. And I have no doubt in my mind that there will be an even larger surge on Monday and Tuesday,” Fisher said.

“Everyone thinks it’s like a one- or two-day thing. We have been planning for Valentine’s Day since before Halloween. Our orders are due before Christmas, before Thanksgiving. So we’ve been thinking about this for many, many months now,” she continued.

The process is fairly simple. Around October they start planning their predesigned bouquets. From there, they decide what types of flowers, what colors and how many they need to order from their wholesalers.

Once the flowers arrive, the team carefully cuts, dethorns and preps each individual flower. After that, they construct the bouquets and add water and flower food to ensure longevity.

“I always say try to buy local, you guys,” said Fisher. “We put so much love into those things and it shows at the end.”

As the customer, you can choose from a prearranged bouquet or design your own.

It’s typical to just go for the standard roses that everyone loves. However, Fisher encourages her customers to think outside the box.

“Everybody always wants to know, what should I send to my special someone? A lot of times people just automatically navigate to a dozen roses,” Fisher said.

“We think that’s gorgeous, but we think it’s way more fun to get things that are mixed flowers. That adds more color and more texture, which in turn makes a more interesting arrangement.”

Once you receive your beautiful bouquet, many people have trouble with preserving the flowers. But don’t fret. Fisher has you covered with tips.

“Make sure that you don’t put it in a window or under a heater vent. Things like that will really cause those flowers to dry up and die faster,” said Fisher.

Another recommendation would be to change the plant’s water every three days. Though challenging, it ensures your flowers have a fresh source of nutrients.

Additionally, you can try trimming the bottom of the stems to help with longevity.

When it comes to ordering your arrangement, the sooner the better. Fisher explains how they have “everything under the sun for Valentine’s Day to choose from,” but ordering early ensures you get exactly what you’re looking for.

“If you order early, it’ll be much better because it will ensure you get the colors you want or the flower types you want. We may run out at the end,” Fisher said.