Did You Forget Valentine’s Day?

Oh no – Valentine’s Day is on Tuesday! As the last few hours before Valentine’s Day quickly tick off the clock, now is the time when even the most hard-core procrastinators start to panic. If you still haven’t found that perfect gift, or if you simply forgot (it happens), no worries! You still have some outstanding options left, as long as you know where to look.

2 Dozen Red Roses Arranged by Tipton & Hurst

Ordering a gift online and having it shipped is just too risky of an option this late in the game. Even with costly expedited shipping fees, there is still some lingering doubt that the correct item will be sent to the correct place at the right time. With so little time left and so little room for error, this option will probably end up being even more stressful than figuring out what to get in the first place.

Your best option now is to find someone who can help – and find them fast! Time may no longer be on your side, but luckily you have friends in the business who are happy to assist you with finding the perfect gifts – and they’re only a phone call away. Want something more than just flowers? Tipton & Hurst has you covered with balloons, teddy bears, chocolates, wine, champagne, and so much more!

Bunches of Love Hand Wrapped Bouquet by Tipton & Hurst

Best of all, after you make that phone call you can rest assured, knowing that the perfect gift is already on its way to being carefully created, packaged and hand-delivered to your valentine in time for Valentine’s Day.

Our customer service representatives here at Tipton & Hurst are experts on last-minute gift ideas. Their “Yes We Can” commitment not only makes for a stress-free Valentine’s Day shopping experience but also makes you look like a hero in the eyes of your valentine for being so thoughtful and creative. It will be our little secret that you waited until the last minute!

Pictured here are a few of our most popular choices.

Do Roses Cost More on Valentine’s Day?

Is it true that roses cost more in early February than they do the rest of the year? The short answer is yes, but not just for consumers. Many people are led to believe that flower retailers artificially raise prices to stick it to desperate consumers, when if fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Yes, roses cost more this time of year, but they also cost more for the florist, and the wholesaler, all the way down to the grower. The main reason is that the incredible demand for long-stem red roses on a single day puts a tremendous strain on the entire industry, and that affects everyone involved in the complex process of bringing fresh flowers to your door on Valentine’s Day.

In order for growers to meet the annual demand for red roses, they must time the growth of their flowers. This is accomplished by altering the rose plants’ growth cycle to optimize the harvest for February 14. By doing so, the growers must interrupt everyday production for several weeks in order to produce a bumper crop at precisely the right time. Unfortunately, the cost of stopping everyday production comes at a price, and that gets passed on down the line.

Is that the only reason?

That’s one reason for the price increase, but many additional factors come into play before the flowers reach the consumers. For starters, the unusually large harvest of roses can swell up to three times the normal volume that is typical for other times of the year. Since roses are processed manually, this necessitates hiring temporary laborers to help harvest and package the roses. Once the roses are ready to be shipped, importers are not only forced to pay more for the extra needed cargo space, but also for the extra trucks and drivers necessary to handle the extra volume.

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest days of the years for florists, but our preparation for this holiday begins weeks – if not months – in advance. In order to meet demand, we must hire additional help, work longer hours, and rent additional delivery vans in order to make sure all the orders are delivered on or before the 14th.

Nobody likes to see the annual price spike for roses, but unfortunately, it’s an unavoidable result of supply and demand. With an increasingly crowded marketplace dominated by online-only flower shippers, the profit margins for local florists are razor thin compared to many other times of the year.

So, what’s the good news?

The good news is that we work very hard at Tipton & Hurst to keep costs low and prices competitive while never sacrificing quality or service for our customers. We understand the importance of this holiday to our customers and their loved ones and always do our best to exceed their expectations.

Whether it’s a dozen red roses or something else you had in mind for your sweetheart, we’re here to help you find the perfect gift. Remember, the earlier you order, the better! Do yourself a favor by not waiting until the last minute when items are picked over and delivery times are full. Make this Valentine’s Day one they’ll never forget, with the help of your friends at Tipton & Hurst.

2015 Woman of the Year Gala

We were honored to be the official florist of the 2015 Woman of the Year Gala. Not only were we able to put together some beautiful centerpieces, but the fruit was donated after the event!

The board of Women & Children First, the state’s largest shelter for survivors of domestic violence, held the gala Jan. 17 in the Little Rock Marriott Grand Ballroom downtown.

See the full album here.

National Rose Month!

Did you know that  June is national rose month?

In fact, in 1986 President Ronald Reagan signed a resolution making the rose the national floral emblem. As a part of that resolution President Reagan said “Americans have always loved the flowers with which God decorates our land. More often than any other flower, we hold the rose dear as the symbol of life and love and devotion, of beauty and eternity.  For the love of man and woman, for the love of mankind and God, for the love of country, Americans who would speak the language of the heart do so with a rose.”  With that said, Americans have communicated feelings via roses for a number of years. However, did you know that different colors of roses mean different things?  Here are just a few:

Red : Love, Beauty, Courage and Respect

White: Purity and Innocence

Pink : Appreciation, “Thank You” and Admiration

Yellow: Joy, Gladness and Friendship

Yellow with Red Tips: Falling in Love

Orange: Desire, Enthusiasm

Peach: Appreciation, Sincerity and Gratitude, Closing The Deal

Lavender: Love at first sight

Could you imagine showing up to a final business meeting with lavender roses instead of peach roses? That would just be awful.

So once you’ve bought the correct roses, how do you arrange them?

Look no further, our own Chris Norwood was on television this past week giving advice. Check it out!

 


Wholesale flowers

Valentine’s Day: A History

Saint Valentine’s Day, commonly known as Valentine’s Day  is observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it remains a working day in most of them. It is the second most celebrated holiday around the world second to New Year’s Day.

St. Valentine’s Day began as a celebration of one or more early Christian saints. The most popular story associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire; during his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer. Legend states that before his execution he wrote “from your Valentine” as a farewell to her. Today, Saint Valentine’s Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion as well as in the Lutheran Church.

The day was first associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers and sending greeting cards.

The history of giving your loved one Valentine’s Day flowers comes from the old-fashioned custom of sending floral bouquets to pass on non-verbal messages. Introduced in the 18th century, each flower had a specific meaning attached to it, making it possible to have an entire conversation using only flowers. Today, people continue to send flowers on special occasions or to express sentiments of love and admiration.

See our Tipton Hurst exclusive Valentine’s Day collection here and send flowers to your loved one this Valentine’s Day.