Valentine’s Day

Flowers

Stopping in a bustling floral shop pleases the senses with wonderful sights and smells! The flowers include fragrant and lovely roses, tulips, baby’s breath, carnations and hundreds of other floral delights.

They represent species from all over. In fact, most of the state flowers can be found in local floral shops. Examples of a few flowers designated to represent their native state include:

• California- Golden Poppy
• Florida- Orange Blossom
• Illinois- Native Violet
• New York- Rose (also the national flower of the US and the UK)
• Ohio – Scarlet Carnation
• Oklahoma- Mistletoe
• Texas- Bluebonnet

The next step is taking these delightful blossoms and plants and artfully arranging them into breathtaking centerpieces, bouquets, and arrangements!

Florists

Training to become a florist is serious business. There are three major national associations for florists—the Society of American Florists, the American Institute of Floral Designers and the American Floral Industry Association.

There are separate schools focusing on flowers including the South Florida Center for Floral Studies and the Floral Design Institute. At these and other similar institutions, the aspiring florist will learn everything there is to know about being a florist such as arranging flowers and how to run a florist shop.

After that training, further credentialing and certifications can be earned from state and regional programs.

The Customer

Flowers and plant gifts express deep sentiments of the individual who is giving them. Those powerful emotions and wishes must be appropriately interpreted within the floral creation. The flowers must be a true extension from the mind of the giver to the delivery of the flowers. It is a message of importance and the florist has to convey it with integrity and urgency.

Flowers generally mark an occasion. An event or an emotion that has made a significant impact in the givers life. Christmas, a wedding, a death, a birth, love, congratulations, or an anniversary are just a few of the powerful forces that can spark a giver to pick up the phone, go on the internet or stop at a florist to spend money on a floral expression.

The Order

Many times, the florist’s customer is uncertain of what s/he wants. For example, if a customer comes in and says he wants flowers for the first anniversary of a first date, but does not have an idea of what he wants, what does the florist do?

The florist can ask a few basic questions such as does he want an arrangement or a bouquet; how much does he want to spend; does she have a favorite flower and most importantly: When does he want it?

The Flower Delivery

In most cases during a floral visit and in all cases when ordering online, the giver will want the floral piece delivered and usually right way, sometimes even on the same day! This is why the florist has to have a good delivery system in place. The difference between a satisfied and an irate customer could very well emanate from the delivery process.

Many online florist websites offer same day delivery if ordered by a certain time (for example, by 2pm on weekdays, 12:30pm on Saturdays and 11:30am on Sundays). That is because the florists use delivery personnel local to the area. So, if a giver orders flowers from Des Moines, IA, for delivery to person in Riverside, CA, it will be a Riverside (or nearby community) florist that will fill the order and deliver the flowers.

In general, flower delivery charges range from $5 to $10. Online florists include it in the price of the order. The expense can influence the composition of the floral order. For example, if a giver orders an arrangement for $68.95, that will include a delivery charge of $8.95. The online florist will forward the order to a local florist. If the local florist charges only $6.95 for delivery, the extra $2.00 will result in more flowers being added to the design.

Delivery cost is an expense most givers are happy to pay to ensure their sentiments are beautifully expressed and delivered on time!