Why are flowers so expensive? A young man politely asked me this the other day. It got me thinking that some of you may wonder this as well with Valentine’s Day just around the corner.

-Most flowers are imported so they travel a great distance. Due to this travel flower prices can be affected by fuel costs. When available, most florists buy local flowers. The varieties available in North America are limited. For example, roses are all grown in Ecuador or Holland with no growers in North America.

-Flowers take longer to grow and have a shorter shelf life than vegetables. The longer growing time means more labor goes into their production. A shorter shelf life means that wastage is an issue and large quantities cannot be purchased and held on to at any given time.

-Flowers, like everything, are subject to the laws of supply and demand. During holidays like Valentine’s Day, growers have more demand than supply so they increase their prices. These increases are then of course passed onto wholesalers, florists, and eventually customers.

-Florists typically have more overhead than your average retail store. Handling flowers requires skilled labor, specialty wrapping, supplies, and tools. A large cooler is required for storage and wastage is always a risk.

-Fresh products are prone to issues. Everything must be perfectly timed, the growing season, the shipping companies, the processing and storage. As a florist part of my week is dealing with problems that arrive as flowers make their way to me. I will often get calls from suppliers such as “The flight from Holland was delayed so your Dutch product won’t arrive to you until Friday”, “Those blush roses you ordered somehow arrived as hot pink”. Dealing with all of these issues to bring you exactly what you ordered is a costly and time-consuming process.

Are they worth it? Of course, they are. I think understanding where they come from and the giant effort involved in bringing them to your door makes them even more beautiful.