Maritime florists ready for busy Valentine’s Day

Many Maritime florists are busy as Valentine’s Day quickly approaches.

Local florists across the Maritimes have been busy all week as they prepare for Valentine’s Day.

At Galbraith Florists in Saint John, N.B., Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest times of year.

“We are exhausted,” laughs Galbraith Florist owner Oksana Posatska, adding her staff have been putting in 18-hour days all week to get orders ready. “We’re running on adrenaline, we are on the coffee and energetics but we’re here for our clients and their love stories.”

Posatska says hundreds of orders have been made ahead of Feb. 14. Red roses are the most popular item, with the average customer spending anywhere from $80 to $100 on a bouquet.

While pre-orders have increased in recent years, Galbraith is prepared for those last-second shoppers who may have had the love day sneak up on them.

“For the last-minute orders we will also have a really nice selection of flowers,” says Posatska. “However, we might run out of, let’s say, the most popular red roses.”

Posatska admits it is a long week for her and her staff, and come end of day on Friday, she jokes the shop will be a mess. While the days may be long, she says it is all worth it to make the holiday special for residents.

“People are very grateful that we are pushing the limits of what’s humanly possible,” Posatska says. “We definitely feel love in the air.”

The preparations will continue well into the night Thursday. With all hands on deck and six drivers slated to deliver orders all day Friday, Posatska says all blooms will be ready on time and delivered on schedule.