The Cost Of Love -- Long-Stemmed Roses Can Be A Thorn In Your Pocketbook

Thinking roses for your sweetie next week on Valentine's Day?

Prepare for sticker shock.

At the florists we surveyed you'll pay from $55 to $100 for a dozen long-stemmed roses for Valentine's Day, which is interpreted as all next week. Ordinarily you'd pay from $34.95 to $65, which means our dozen florists are increasing their prices from 15 percent (Ness Flowers) to nearly 77 percent (Molbak's) for Valentine's Day orders.

And that's just the increase for the flowers! Many delivery prices also jump. There can be added premiums for distance or location.

Troubleshooter researchers Madeline McKenzie and Cheryl Morningstar, who called each florist twice, found some businesses quoting different prices in separate phone calls on the same day. In those cases we made a third or fourth phone call to check prices.

Because of the discrepancies, we recommend consumers check more than once, too. And consult more than one florist.

Why the big price increases for Valentine's Day?

Supply and demand. Growers and wholesalers increase prices, and many florists nearly double their staffs to accommodate deliveries for Feb. 14.

Part of the problem is procrastination by consumers who wait until Feb. 13 or 14 to order, causing a rush. (Some shops may ask if they can deliver your sweetie's flowers on Feb. 13, because of the time crunch.)

Explaining cost factors, the Society of American Florists says rose growers pay more for energy to heat their greenhouses at this time of year and that most roses in the United States are grown in environmentally controlled structures. In addition, several rosebuds must be sacrificed to create one long-stemmed rose.

When Valentine's Day is on a Friday, more people order flowers, according Jim Krone, executive vice president of Roses Inc., a 54-year-old trade group of 295 growers in the United States.

This year the industry expects to sell about 5,700 roses (475 dozen) in the Seattle area, and about 80 million nationwide, based on information provided by the Floral Index of Chicago and Roses Inc. Nearly 85 percent will be red. That's double the number sold in 1989, Krone said. The other change is that a growing number of women are sending roses to men.

About 40 percent of the roses sold in the United States come from Colombia, Krone said. Nearly every state grows roses, but about 60 percent of those raised in this country are grown in California. The rose business is a $200 million annual industry.

The growing season for a single rose is 45 to 47 days, roughly from Christmas to Valentine's Day, said Sten Crissey, immediate past president of the Society of American Florists and owner of Crissey Flowers & Gifts in Seattle.

The average long-stemmed rose is 24 inches, according to Roses Inc.

But our researchers found a wide variation in the definition of long-stemmed roses. Local florists said the long-stems range from 16 to 32 inches.

Some wholesalers will charge the same whether the roses are 18 or 30 inches long, said John Cohn, president of Allied Florists of Western Washington and owner of Johnny's Flowers.

There are special deals available. Some florists said consumers who order before tomorrow would get pre-Valentine prices. Others said they give small discounts on delivery fees for early orders.

But many said orders from now on would be at the higher prices because growers and wholesalers already are charging more. And if prices are higher at wholesalers, it's conceivable retailers could charge more next week than you see in today's chart.

Only one florist we phoned asked not to be included in our listings. It was just as well, because he and his employees quoted drastically different prices for a dozen long-stemmed roses.

If delivery from a florist is beyond your budget, consider buying flowers at one of the numerous grocery chains that now stock flowers and delivering them yourself. Or consider a single rose in a bud vase for dramatic effect.

Larry's Markets Inc. is offering a $19.98 Valentine's Day special through their catering service. It includes a box lunch with one of eight menu selections, a bud vase with spring flowers and three chocolate truffles, plus delivery. (There may be an added delivery fee in areas distant from the stores.) Call 820-2525 and ask for details.

For $40, Champagne and Roses Ltd. of Seattle (phone 525-2339) will deliver a bottle of chilled champagne, two Dilettante truffles, a silk rose, and your own message in calligraphy.

OTHER TIPS:

-- Visit florists the week before ordering to compare quality between shops, advises Ric Trujillo of Flowers & Interiors in Renton. Consider having the flowers delivered a couple days before Valentine's Day. Because that's a Friday, the recipient may have gone home before the flowers arrive.

-- Have the florist put roses in a vase with water, not a box, says Sten Crissey, owner of Crissey Flowers & Gifts in Seattle. A vase should be a little over one-third the length of the rose to provide proper water.

-- Take roses to bed with you at night, says Jim Krone of Roses Inc. They like a cooler room and will last five to seven days if given proper treatment. To give droopy roses "first aid," lay them in the sink and cut rose stems under water.

-- Most florists set delivery prices based on geographic zones. Consider choosing a florist close to the recipient.

-- Check the Yellow Pages for discounts and special promotions. Some shops require that you mention an advertisement to get a discount.

-- In case your gift becomes a thorny problem and flowers droop soon after delivery, ask the florist what his policy is. Some will send a new bouquet.

And finally, be glad you don't live in the Big Apple, where a dozen roses will cost $100 to $120 this Valentine season.

Shelby Gilje's Troubleshooter column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday in the Scene section of The Times. Do you have a problem? Write to Times Troubleshooter, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. Include copies, not originals, of documents indicating payment, guarantees, contracts and other relevant materials.