Happy Valentine’s Day friends! Hope you all feel the love today and everyday for that matter. Valentine’s Day is one of busiest days of the year in the floral industry next to Mother’s Day. Local Florist are working day and night to make sure people feel the love.
Today I was reading about the mass imports of flowers to the United States, just for Valentine’s Day. The facts stated blew my mind! The US imported 198 million roses last year for Valentines Day. 198 MILLION… The cost on statista showed that Americans plan to spend 2.3 billion on flowers this Valentine’s Day. Insert mind blown emoji again. Local flowers are typically not available in February, due to the weather across most of the US. Which calls for flowers to be imported from countries like Ecuador, Columbia, Kenya etc. Shipped via airfreight and the cost is expensive! There’s also a flower shortage due to heat waves and flooding (not love heat waves either). Again, $2.3 billion will be spent on imported flowers today alone.
Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day in February?
Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day in February vs. Summer? When I think of red hot burning love, I think of summer. Que the song Summer Lovin’ from Grease. During summer, I would have amazing local flowers, right! So me and google went on a search and I learned that Valentines Day actually originated as a Christian feast after Saint Valentine a Roman Saint. The festival was held on February 15th originally and dedicated to Faunus. Faunus is the Roman god of agriculture and the harvest. Pope Gelasius revived Valentine’s Day and declared February 14th as the day of the feast in 496 A.D.
It was during the 14th and 15th century that it became romanticized. In 18th century England, people starting presenting flowers, gifts, romantic gestures, Valentines Day cards, all the feels! That is how the tradition continued forward.
What if we could grow flowers local for Valentine’s Day?
Flowers have always been a part of the Valentine’s Day tradition. I believe flowers are a universal sign of love. So what if we had more domestic growers, that could support demand in February? It would require greenhouses and a lot of work to support in the winter months. Some flowers that people have grown to love on Valentine’s Day could not be supported, like roses. Roses prefer the climates of South American countries to obtain the long stems most people prefer. However, what if we could offer other varieties that would aid in cost, travel, and support local markets. Do you have a preference on roses only for Valentines Day? What other flowers would represent Valentine’s Day to you? Does local vs. imported flowers influence your purchase? If so, next time read the label on the bouquet in the grocery store and it will tell you where it’s from.
I love flowers no matter what and Valentine’s Day. Always looking at ways to support local florists and markets. As domestic growers, it’s important for us to examine other ways to support the market and educate people. Can we grow everything, no. Together we can find alternative solutions to ensure your loved ones “feel the love”.
Happy Valentine’s Day friends! Shop local and tell a florist they are loved!
– XO
Mallory