The season of gifting is here, for anyone who has a valentine.
The urban legend is true – the second best thing that most women like as frivolous gifts (after diamonds of course) will be flowers. Every woman loves to feel special and for her date to present her with some flowers on special occasions like Valentine’s Day would make her feel that.
It also shows that you put some thought into getting the gift for the person and are overtly showing your feelings for the person. Men can receive flowers too, as some do like them but it works more like a charm for most women.
But if you head out to buy roses on February 14, you will be in for a shock, as the gesture of love comes with a surprising price tag. On Valentine’s Day, the prices of flowers (especially roses) can cost double the price.
In order to send your floral gift without burning a hole in your wallet, we did some research on how long each flower type last and when to buy them (before the February 14 price hike) to get some savings.
Read Also: Are Flower Bouquets Ever Worth It?
(Most Popular) Roses: Shelf Life Between 5 And 7 days
Image Credit: Far East Flora
The prices of roses rise in late January and remain high throughout Valentine’s Day before retreating to normal prices afterward.
A set of 6 red roses in a bouquet from Far East Flora cost about $86.29 (about $14.40 per stalk). While Katong Flower Shop’s 8 red roses bouquet is priced at $75 (around $9.40 per stalk).
FarEastFlora’s Heart to Heart floral box of 33 red roses with baby’s breath is priced at $291.49 with taxes (that’s about $8.80 per stalk).
If you have no preference for the rose colour, do consider other tones instead of red as they will cost less. Champagne roses from Angel Florist cost $88 for 12 roses (about $7.33 per stalk).
Price per stalk: Red roses – $9 to $15; Champagne roses – $7.50
When is the best time to order: Make an advance order days or weeks earlier to lock in your bouquet at a lower price. Opt to deliver the bouquet on the actual day if you don’t need to self-collect.
If you buy roses on February 10 and take great care of them, you might have a bouquet to gift to your date.
How to keep them fresh: Place the roses in a sucrose solution (sugar and water mixture) to extend their life by +2 more days compared to when you place them in normal water.
Bird Of Paradise: Can Last Around 14 days
Image Credit: Fern and Petals
The flowers of a bird of paradise are not fragrant but the striking orange tone is sure to capture attention as a unique gift.
The flower is known as the ultimate symbol of paradise, freedom and joy. When it blossoms, it fully opens and resembles the wings of a bird in flight.
These flowers are harder to source and are on the pricier side. A check with 7 florists revealed that only 1 florist sold these flowers. So you can consider them if you want a unique gift that is more lasting than roses.
Ferns and Petals sells a Mixed Blooms Paradise Bouquet for $79 that contains 5 bird of paradise, 2 champagne daisies, eustoma and foliage.
Price per stalk: $13
When is the best time to order: These flowers first bloom from October to December and the peak availability from most regions is September to April. Due to the limited availability of the flowers, it is better to order early (a few weeks in advance) for the bouquet.
How to keep them fresh: These flowers are less sensitive to cold and can be stored as low as 7 degrees without risk of chilling injury. The flowers will typically take an average of 3 to 5 days to open after arrival.
Orchids: Can Last Around 15 days
Image Credit: Fern and Petal
Orchids are unusual floral gifts but that may be interesting to your date if the person likes special or creative gifts. Plus they are very enduring and can last more than 2 weeks.
These flowers are said to bring good luck and the flowers symbolise thoughtfulness, refinement, beauty, charm and love.
You can get 6 royal orchids for $62 a bouquet ($10.30 per stalk) and 7 blue orchids for $72 ($10.20 per stalk) from Ferns and Petals.
Xpressflower also sells a rich bunch of purple mokara orchids and white orchids for $81.
Price per stalk: $10
When is the best time to order: Due to the durability of the flowers, you can purchase them as early as a week before and they will still be fresh on Valentine’s Day.
How to keep them fresh: Never overwater the cut orchids and don’t place them in direct light. Keep your flowers away from low-humidity areas.
Read Also: The Economics Behind Valentine’s Day Bouquet “ Inflation”
Lilies: Shelf Life Of 14 days
Image Credit: Xpressflower
Purchase the flowers when they are still in bud form to protect the flowers and also to allow the flowers to last even longer. The flowers will burst into full floom gradually and is a beautiful sight to watch.
Lilies mostly symbolise devotion and purity, although the meaning can vary by the type of lily breed. Pink lilies stand for abundance and prosperity. Lilies are also used in weddings and are tied to good luck.
A bouquet of 6 oriental pink lilies from Ferns and Petals costs $75 ($12.50 per stalk).
There are also other lily variations like a bouquet of 10 long white lilies from Angelflorist for $96.03 ($9.60 per stalk).
Price per stalk: $9.50 to $12.50
When is the best time to order: Some lilies bloom in early summer, while others bloom at all times all the way through fall. But not many shops sell lilies as hand bouquets so you can order them earlier (approximately 1 week ahead).
How to keep them fresh: Keep the flowers out of direct sunlight and store them in a cool environment. This will increase its life length and keep them looking fresh longer.
Daisies/Gerberas: Shelf Life Of 12 days
Image Credit: Katong Flower Shop
Daisies are long-lasting flowers that are available all year round. In Norse mythology, the daisy is known as the sacred flower for the goddess of love, beauty and fertility.
Xpressflower’s bouquet of 5 white and 5 pink gerberas cost $86.40 ($8.64 per stalk).
You can also get a 10 gerberas bouquet at $75 from Katong Flower Shop ($7.50 per stalk).
There’s also the Lovely Yellow White Jute Bouquet at $62 for 8 yellow gerberas and 4 white daisy stems ($5.20 per stalk) from Ferns and Petals.
Price per stalk: $5.20 to $8.70
When is the best time to order: The demand for daisies and gerberas is not as seasonal and they can be found throughout the year. As they are often found in shops, you can even pick up a bouquet on Valentine’s Day itself and there should still be availability.
How to keep them fresh: Mist them daily and remove any dying foliage or petals. As the petals are soft, do not place the flowers under a fan. Do not place them in direct sunlight or near any other source of excess heat. Keep them away from any fruits or vegetables as they are easily impacted by pests.
Carnations: Can Last Around 10 days
Image Credit: Xpressflower
A bouquet of pink carnations from Ferns And Petals cost $62 for 10 stalks ($6.20 per stalk). While Flower Chimp sells a Timeless Beauty bouquet of about 10 carnations (and 1 to 2 rouge roses) for $46.90 ($4.60 per stalk).
The only drawback is that these affordable flowers may be seen as cheaper floral gifts.
But to justify this as not a cheap bouquet to your date, you can pick a nice floral arrangement or maybe make a larger bouquet since they are more affordable anyway.
Price per stalk: $4.50 to $6.50
When is the best time to order: It is okay to order in the first week of February to enjoy some early bird prices or buy them on the spot on Valentine’s Day as the demand for carnations is not as seasonal and they can be found throughout the year.
How to keep them fresh: Mist them daily and remove any dying foliage. Do not place them in direct sunlight or near any other source of excess heat. Placing the flowers in the fridge overnight will also extend their durability.
For Extra Savings, Get Mixed Bouquets Instead Of All Of The Same Flowers
To get more savings, look for mixed bouquets as florists tend to price them cheaper because they include certain flowers that are not as popular or not selling out.
You are also helping the florist clear out other types of flowers and that is less environmentally damaging as you are using up other flower variations for your bouquet instead of only one type.
Another bonus is the plants wilt at different timings too, so the bouquet still looks relatively fresh overall even if you buy them early.
FarEastFlora’s Sakura Bloom hand bouquet costs $48.49 and has 6 carnations, 3 roses and wax flowers in the bouquet. This translates to $5.38 per stalk.
A Wrapped in Love hand bouquet of 3 roses, 8 to 10 daisies and baby’s breath from Angel Florist is $49.90 (about $4.50 per stalk).
Other than sending flowers in a bouquet, sending flowers in a vase is also another way of gifting.
Note The Delivery Fees And Delivery Dates At Check Out When Buying Them Online
Some florists may be fully booked on Valentine’s Day so order earlier if there’s a particular design or pricing you want from a seller. Also, do be prepared to pay for express delivery services (might cost $10 per delivery) the closer it is to the date.
Do note the order cut-off times too. For some stores, you can order late for same/next day delivery but other stores might require you to order a few days in advance for the delivery date you prefer.
Featured Image Credit: Angela Teng
Read Also: 15 Items You Can Buy From Daiso To Save Money On Your Wedding Reception Décor
The post When Is The Best Time (And Which Flower) To Buy For Valentine’s Day? appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
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