When did you last do it? Buy flowers I mean! Or should I say, when did you last do it properly, with a genuine florist on your local high street who’s selling the best quality and well cared for flowers in artistically curated bouquets?

Whether it’s been a while, or you pop to your local florist regularly to take in the sweet scents and soak up all the creativity on display, don’t miss out on the best stems this Valentine’s at the best prices. Flowers are still hitting the top spot for the most popular Valentine’s gift and with this age-old tradition not looking like it’s wilting anytime soon, I’m here to let you know how to really earn some brownie points this year with some top tips for buying your Valentine’s blooms.

“Roses are red”… yes indeed, but they’re also creamy ivory and soft peach, sweet lilac and vibrant yellow. In fact, by swerving the predictable red rose at Valentine’s you’ll be swerving the high price attached too. And please remember it’s not your florist upping the price - the farms need more water, more feed, more staff and machinery, longer hours and more lorry drivers and fuel (and that’s an issue in its own right!) to get millions of roses out and shipped across the globe for this mammoth day in the floral calendar. The price of a single rose more than doubles before it’s even reached the UK. So, for anyone thinking florist are bathing in fifties by 15th February - please think again, the margin left for your florist is so small that a red rose barely covers our elevated costs at Valentine’s. The only thing we are bathing in is Epsom salts and bits of leaf that wash out from goodness knows where!

So, my top tips:

1. Ask the florist
This is the best one and if you have to forget the rest, just remember this one! Your florist wants you to have the best of what they’ve got, they want you to tell all your mates how good it is. Ask your florist ‘what’s the best thing I can get for X amount’ and let the pros do the work.

2. Avoid red
Anything red (or even pink) will be around double the price at Valentine’s. Think outside the box, did you know yellow was the original rose of love and affection? Did you know in a recent survey, recipients of flowers confirmed they’d rather receive their favourite colour flowers at Valentine’s over red roses… How well do you know your Valentine? Is it time to go back to the playground chat up lines and ask, ‘what’s your favourite colour then?’. No hair pulling though boys - it didn’t work then and it won’t work now!

3. Order early
Florists get to pre-order better priced stems around three weeks before Valentine’s Day. If you order before they’re cut you will usually benefit from their pre-order prices… especially if you want red.

4. Be creative
If you’re still set on red roses but not willing to pay the premium look out for fun and clever ways of gifting them. At Bella June flowers we are offering single boxed red roses and you can add on the 11 others to make it a dozen in the form of a redeemable voucher to use in March when the prices go down and quality goes up!

5. Trust your florist
Whatever you decide, trust your florist: you are their best advert after all.

Finally, however you do Valentine’s, do it with a local florist, gift shop or independent restaurant. Why not try some local wine and confectionery? You can’t buy love, but you can buy local and that’s kind of the same thing!