Rising cost of love: Rose prices surge in lead-up to Valentine's Day

The Valentine's Day tradition of giving a bouquet of roses will make would-be lovers a bit poorer this year.

A combination of inflation, shipment issues and warm climate conditions have pushed up prices to the extent that some retailers aren't even bidding on the coveted flower.

Auckland grower Frans van Dorsser has been growing flowers in Auckland for the last 15 years and is a managing director of his family business, Blooming Hill Flowers.

He said hot weather stresses the plant which prevents them from growing tall enough.

Flowers on the Hilltop owner Raewin Kelly. Photo / NZ Herald

"Due to the stress, they don't grow as long, so our blooms have been a little shorter than what they normally would be," van Dorsser said.

The shortage of 80cm red roses has increased the prices for these flowers, he said.

Raewin Kelly, the owner of retailer Flowers on the Hilltop, said the 80cm roses were too expensive for her to buy at the auction so she chose to opt out this year.

"The [price] was horrendous" and the customers wouldn't buy them, she said.

She sold one dozen 60cm long-stemmed red roses for $245 this year up from $185 in 2021. One dozen 40cm reds are $140, up by $20 compared to last year.

And the single red rose is $20, an increase of $5.

A custom-made "Just Because" bouquet for a customer by Flowers on the Hilltop, valued at approx $265. Photo / Rahul Bhattarai

Sources the Herald spoke to said a bunch of 80cm roses cost about $80 this year (up from $40 last year) at the auction. By the time those flowers get prepared and ready to sell, the consumers could pay up to $300.

New Zealand's largest flower market which auctions flowers to the shops said this year it had seen consumers moving away from the traditional trend of buying red roses and were opting in for more mixed arrangements of bouquets.

"People are increasingly opting to surprise their significant others with their favourite variety of flowers rather than just the traditional red rose," said UFG's spokeswoman Thai-Anh Cooper.

"Even for our most experienced growers, there are so many factors that are outside of their control that could affect the volume of blooms that are ready and available each season."

Another contributor to shortages of red roses was the international shipment delays which were caused due to the pandemic, putting local growers under a lot of stress.

"The ongoing wider market impacts of Covid-19 has intensified that pressure where domestic demand has continued to remain firm but any natural shortfall in domestic supply has been unable to be filled by other means," she said.

"It's no secret that our local growers and florists have had a tough couple of years when it comes to trade. The constant changes in the Covid-19 landscape have had an immense impact on the flower industry," Cooper said.

Valentine's Day is a crucial month for NZ growers and retailers in terms of revenue earning potential.

The Wild Rose co-owners Wayne and Melanie Kennerley said some roses which normally were being imported from overseas had not arrived on time.

"Roses are supplied not only from local growers but also imported from India and Colombia," Wayne said.

"This year however that overseas supply is drastically reduced.

"Some florists will be taking orders and desperately hoping they can get enough supply at the local flower market and pay a fair price."

Due to this shortage in supply, many florists had to resort to selling bouquets with floral arrangements instead of just red roses.

But what separates February 14 from other celebratory events was on this day people often did last-minute shopping, without much prior planning.

"Valentine's Day is unique, unlike Christmas or other Key events like Mother's Day and Father's Day, where gifts are often bought months in advance.

"For Valentine's Day, it all tends to be last minute. At The Wild Rose we're expecting a hectic weekend of online orders and there will be a convoy of Courier Vans outside the store Monday morning," he said.

Consumer NZ also reported the shortage of red roses this Valentine's Day which has contributed to making the flowers "a lot more expensive than in previous years".

It cited poor weather conditions in major growing areas and the ongoing impacts of Covid-19 have affected the shipment as many overseas growers struggle to meet demands.

New Zealand flower growers are still going strong, but there is always a limited supply of red roses, which florists usually make up for by importing flowers, reported Consumer NZ.