When it comes to Valentine’s Day flowers, red roses still top the list in Needham.
“It’s the biggest rose holiday,” said Julie Ben-David, owner of Needham Florist. It’s also her busiest single day of the year, though not the biggest flower holiday of the year – that distinction belongs to Mother’s Day. “Everybody has a mom,” she said. “Not everybody has a valentine.”
“Roses are big,” said Teri Boardman, an owner of Volante Farms, who says Valentine’s Day is significant for them. “We sell more cut flowers, and roses are the big draw. Red roses in particular.”
The red rose tradition dates back to the Victorian era and “floriography,” known as the language of flowers. Victorians were discouraged from expressing emotion, so they conveyed their feelings through flowers, with different types and colors having different meanings. Red roses symbolized love and became associated with Valentine’s Day.
The slogan “say it with flowers” was a later invention associated with Mother’s Day in the U.S. In 1910 the Florists’ Telegraph Delivery group (FTD) was formed. When Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day in 1914, florists used the wire service to exchange orders, allowing individuals to send flowers to their mothers across the country. They coined the phrase “say it with flowers” in 1918 to promote the service.
Despite the romantic connotation of red roses, the most popular gift given on Valentine’s Day is candy. According to the National Retail Federation, the gift categories break down like this: candy at 56%, flowers and greeting cards both at 40%, followed by an evening out at 35% and jewelry at 22%. The annual survey predicts that consumers will spend a record $27 billion on Valentine’s Day this year.
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