Buying flowers for Valentine’s Day? Here’s what you can expect to pay in the Triangle
Those in the market for a dozen red roses, an artistic flower arrangement or just a few pretty stems should know that the blooms will cost a tad more this Valentine’s Day than they have in years past.
A recent report from The Balance showed that roses are 22% more expensive than they were last year, and they’re also up 23% from Valentine’s Day 2020.
We checked with local florists to see what a dozen roses will set you back this Valentine’s Day.
Price of a dozen roses in Raleigh/Durham area
Note: Wrapped flowers typically are not eligible for delivery. These prices are also subject to change at the discretion of the florists.
▪ 1 Blossom 2 Bloom Floral Design (Raleigh/Durham): $150 for a dozen roses in a vase, and $100 for a dozen roses wrapped. The price will increase if you’d like filler, like baby’s breath, and greenery. Info: 1blossom2bloom.com
▪ Blossom and Bone Florals (Durham): $85 for a dozen roses. But this flower shop focuses on maximalist, artistic flower creations, so owner and founder Heather Sardela wants to steer customers toward designer’s choice bouquets instead of a dozen roses. “If people come in here and they want a dozen roses, I do everything in my power to take them away from that idea,” she said. Info: blossomandboneflorals.com
▪ Élan House (Raleigh): From $99 to $200 or more for a dozen red roses. “Lack of resources and shipping has caused significant price hikes,” said owner Shannon Hill. “My bouquets have a variety of flower types because each type is beautiful when arranged artistically. This allows for flexibility with pricing as the market fluctuates.” Info: elan-house.com
▪ Fallon’s Flowers (Raleigh/Cary): Between $65 and $100 depending on your filler, flower size and stem length, said the shop’s sales associate Andre Fanto. A dozen wrapped red roses will cost $25, but wrapped flowers cannot be delivered. Last year, a dozen wrapped roses cost between $15 and $20. Info: fallonsflowers.com
▪ Flowers by the Neuse (Clayton): $84.99 for a dozen roses in a vase with filler and greenery. A dozen roses wrapped will be $79.99, said owner Jimmy Hill. The shop offered these prices last year as well. Info: flowersbytheneuse.com
▪ Lavender Lane (Apex): $99.95 for a dozen red roses in a vase with greenery and filler. A wrapped dozen will be $60 to $70 depending on the filler you’d like, said owner Jo Williams. Info: lavenderlaneflowers.com
▪ Ninth Street Flowers (Durham): $110 for a dozen roses in a vase, or $75 for a dozen wrapped roses. Historically, the price has been $90 for a dozen roses in a vase, but supply chain issues have driven up the price of all flowers, said the shop’s operations manager Karen Flueck-Holveg. Info: ninthstreetflowers.com
▪ Victoria Park Florist (Chapel Hill): $99 for a dozen roses in a vase, regardless of color. For two dozen, it costs $199 for red roses and $179 for roses in any other color. Info: victoriaparkflorist.net
Price of a dozen supermarket roses
The N&O called some local grocery stores to learn the price of a dozen red roses:
▪ ALDI: $12.99 for a 12-stem rose bouquet in any color, per ALDI Durham’s weekly store ad.
▪ Harris Teeter: $31.99 for a dozen red roses.
▪ Lowes Foods: $24.99 for a red rose bouquet, per a Chapel Hill Lowes Foods’ website. This is a $5 off special that’s valid through Feb. 15.
▪ Whole Foods: $24.99 for a dozen roses. The double dozen (24 roses) is $29.99, but Prime members pay $19.99.
Why do roses (and all flowers) cost so much?
We asked local florists to explain what customers are paying for when they buy flowers on Valentine’s Day, and why many are seeing a price hike this year.
▪ “Flower math:” To make a profit, florists typically charge three times the price they pay for wholesale flowers, plus 20%. This is especially true of local florists working with local farmers to get their flowers, said Adanna Omeni, owner of 1 Blossom 2 Bloom in the Raleigh/Durham area.
This time of year, Omeni said she pays $50 for 25 long-stemmed roses, meaning a dozen roses (without the fixins) will cost customers about $75.
▪ “Flowers were getting thrown away:” Flowers are just like any agricultural product, where your current harvest is based on last year’s planting. Florists and farmers in 2022 are reaping what was sown (literally) in 2021, but last year’s season was impacted dramatically by the adverse effects of 2020, Omeni said. In 2022, they’re still playing catch-up.
“When the pandemic hit, many flower farms had to halt production and, with the uncertainty of when the lockdowns would end, they did not know what crops to plant for the coming months and years either,” said Lisa Fischer, events coordinator at Chapel Hill’s Victoria Park Florist. “This disruption to our supply chain, coupled with lockdowns and staffing shortages, gave way to a worldwide flower shortage.”
▪ “Buy local:” Local florists can craft a perfect arrangement for a loved one from a memory, a color palette or a theme, Omeni said.
“This isn’t the case for wire services, where they might be undercutting prices but there’s no personality,” Omeni said. “If you come to me and say ‘I want to buy something beautiful for my wife for $50,’ I’ll work with you to learn her favorite colors and flowers to stretch that money out for you.”
Julia Carpico, marketing manager for Piedmont Wholesale Flowers — a cooperative market made up of 12 flower farms that sells wholesale flowers to florists and other businesses — urges consumers to support the local businesses.
“When you support local florists, you’re also supporting local farms,” Carpico said. “By buying local flowers, you’re supporting your local economy and the people living and working in your community.”
This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 11:41 AM.
