Local flower shops prepare for Valentine’s rush

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) -Less than two weeks remain until Valentine’s Day, and local florists are gearing up for what they say is by far their busiest day of the year.

Florists said that they needed to order their flower displays back in December, and that flowers are proving to get harder to find the closer we get the holiday.

“We’re currently hearing that red roses, there are no more available on the market, so thank goodness we preordered as of December 15, so we are set to go. We have over a thousand red roses coming, that doesn’t count the colored ones. So I think we’ll pretty much have Mankato flowered up by the end of the 14th,” said Jeanie Hinton of Flowers by Jeanie.

Two of Mankato’s local flower shops, Flowers by Jeanie and Becky’s Floral and Gift Shoppe, have been serving the Mankato area for decades, and they said that the way that people order flowers has changed over the years, and that it’s a bit of a guessing game as to what will be the popular arrangement this Valentines season.

“That kind of changes from year to year too. Some years it’s like everybody orders roses. The next year everybody will order a mixed bouquet with a few roses in it. So it’s kind of a back and forth thing, not every year is the same. And it’s there again kind of a guessing game as to what this year’s going to bring, so you have to have a lot of everything on hand,” said Robin Guhlke of Becky’s Floral & Gift Shoppe.

Local florists estimated that on the day before and on Valentine’s Day, they can see up to 30 times the number of orders and deliveries that they may see on the average day, and that for those looking to guarantee that their arrangement comes together right, one step stands as the most important.

“Order ahead. Order ahead. Say it again. Order ahead. Please call today, or tomorrow, or Saturday or any day before the 13th and 14th.” said Flowers by Jeanie’s Danica Dick.

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