Outdoor roses must go dormant in order to recycle. About two months prior to special days such as Valentine's Day, growers remove a lot of growth from their plants. This stimulates new growth that produces those long-stemmed and bud roses you'll buy this week. Through this process the growers can increase production by 50 percent. This year, Valentine's Day comes on Friday.
Florists say it is the best time for holidays to fall as it brings more focus on the special day.
That represents an increase of 6 percent over last year. Traditionally, men buy more roses for Valentine's Day than women. However, in 1997, women are expected to outnumber men in the floral marketplace, according to a survey of United States consumers. Last year's survey showed that 47 percent of women made a Valentine's Day gift purchase, while this year's survey reflects the number will climb to 71 percent. Women increasingly choose Valentine's Day to remember mothers, sisters, good friends, business associates and children.