Roses are scarce, violets are too, so Valentine’s bouquets will cost a LOT more for you: Shortage of fresh flowers means prices have DOUBLED in a year
- Britons celebrating Valentine’s Day are being warned about a shortage of roses
- Price of stems has doubled amid soaring energy prices impacting Dutch growers
- Some florists have dropped red roses including Red Naomis and Lovelaces
Britons celebrating Valentine’s Day this year are being warned about a shortage of red roses due to soaring energy costs.
The price of some stems has more than doubled amid soaring energy prices impacting growers in the Netherlands, where most of the roses sold in the UK are produced.
Some local florists have now dropped premium red roses including Red Naomis and Lovelaces from their shops entirely — meaning a dozen roses could cost £40 a year rather than £20 last year.
Britons celebrating Valentine’s Day this year are being warned about a shortage of red roses and price hikes due to soaring energy costs (stock image)
Kim Ratcliffe, who runs Bespoke Flowers in Dagenham, said: ‘We woke up to an email saying the growers were stopping production because of high gas prices.’
‘The problem is, the demand is still going, but the supply isn’t there. It meant the cheapest rose we could get was £2 per stem plus VAT, but before you could get a rose for 70 or 80p.
‘We’ve still got customers who don’t mind spending the money, but at the same time it’s embarrassing saying you’re going to be paying £6 a rose.’
The price of some stems has more than doubled amid soaring energy prices impacting growers in the Netherlands, where most of the roses sold in the UK are produced (stock)
Some growers in Holland have been unable to afford to heat greenhouses needed to rear red roses, which require a lot of heat, this winter. Shipping delays and fewer flights also mean fewer flowers are being imported to the UK.
An estimated 250 million stems of flowers are sold globally for Valentine’s Day, the most romantic day of the year.
A British Florist Association spokesman said: ‘Brexit implications, fuel costs and paperwork mean that your local florists are having to think ahead.
‘It’s not a ploy by florists, wholesalers and growers to entice you in — it’s a genuine issue and this means that this year when the roses are sold, they’re sold!’.