This Valentine’s Day, These Local Shops Pack the Most Flower Power

Singles aren’t the only ones who feel ambivalent about the upcoming holiday. For your local florist, Valentine’s Day is the proverbial best of times and worst of times.

"It starts in the morning and it doesn’t stop all day," said Ingrid Gould, who along with husband Mike has operated Conshohocken’s for the last 21 years. "It is a great day for us though."

To meet the demand, Gould relies on a small army of friends and family to help fill and deliver orders. Fortunately, she says, her husband has nine brothers and sisters.

"We’ll have at least four people out driving, people answering the phone," Gould explained from her fragrant Roberts Ave. shop. "We need them. A lot of guys forget about the day until they get in the office and see a bouquet of flowers delivered. Then they start calling and keep calling."

Most of Hague Brothers Valentine’s business is in roses—"Most of our orders total around $50, $55. Delivery is around $10 or so," Gould estimated—but they also cobble together a plethora of alternative floral arrangements for the big day.

"Tulips, orchids, daisies, stock…," she enumerated. "We do a lot of different things. And a lot of these flowers hold better than roses."

(Roses, she explained, though famous for aging poorly, can survive much longer if properly cared for. Gould recommends, after putting them in a vase in a cool area, cutting each stem underwater, at an angle, every other day. This strategy should keep them healthy looking for a week, if not more, she says.)

While a self-described Valentine’s Day fan, Gould does lament that she and her husband spend more time helping others enjoy the holiday than doing so themselves. For them, it’s first and foremost a work day.

"My son was originally due to be born on the Valentine’s Day," she said of her now-teenager. "And even he knew to be born on the 15th."

Below are some other local florists that can help make this Valentine's Day a winner.

• (Whitemarsh Shopping Center)
• (Metroplex)
• Brambles Florist
• Cheryl Ann Florial Designs