More Dutch ditch roses for Valentine's Day; Flower orders down slightly but prices rise

Even in this time of high inflation, residents of the Netherlands are continuing to buy flowers to surprise their loved ones on Valentine's Day. However, people are more often buying flowers other than roses this year, said flower arrangement platforms Topbloemen.nl and Fleurop. Flowers have risen in price this year, although flower cultivation companies have not been able to pass on all of their sharply increased costs, said auction company FloraHolland.

Red roses are less popular. "They stand out in terms of price," said Topbloemen.nl director Edwin van Arkel. "Everyone wants red roses on one day, so there is suddenly a huge demand. But there isn't that much supply because growers have started producing less due to the high gas prices. That drives up the price even more." Tulips are on the rise, particularly in red, but also in mixed bouquets.

FloraHolland believes that the red rose, which needs the high temperature in greenhouses, is falling out of favor swiftly because of the energy crisis. "Due to lower production, there are 35 percent fewer roses on the Dutch market this year," explained a spokesperson. In addition, unfavorable weather conditions in two other important rose countries, Kenya and Ethiopia, led to a drop in supply. Dutch roses, which are more expensive, are still being purchased partly because of the reduced supply.

The Aalsmeer auction company saw 175 million roses auctioned in the run-up to Valentine's Day. Most of them were sent abroad. About 85 percent of FloraHolland's turnover comes from the international market. Valentine's Day is among the most important days of the year for flower sellers. Mother's Day yields even more, but for FloraHolland more simultaneous sales happen around Valentine's Day, which falls on February 14 worldwide. Mother's Day is celebrated on different dates in different countries.

The number of orders for flowers has been fair at both Topbloemen.nl and Fleurop. Topbloemen.nl, which calls itself the online market leader, recorded a decrease of 5 percent compared to last year, but had taken into account a larger reduction due to inflation. The average order amount is 8 percent higher, at about 30 euros.

At Fleurop, the number of orders is still slightly higher than last year, said Christian Quint, who is responsible for the product range on the website. Fleurop is a cooperative serviced by seven hundred local florists. Quint expects the biggest crowds of website visitors to place orders in the coming days.

"Men are usually not that fast," Quint said.