Think your sweetie doesn’t want Valentine’s flowers? Think again

My spouse tells me I’m a difficult person to give flowers to because I spend every day immersed in plants.  My job has me talking about blooms daily, poring over everything from design to growing and troubleshooting them.

Though I itch to tell him it’s not wall-to-wall beauty – they’re often diseased or bug-riddled – I stop myself and admit he’s right.  Giving me flowers would be a lot like wrapping up the mail to give to him – he’s a postal worker - as a gift.

But Valentine’s Day is different somehow, a day that I would love to get flowers.  Those bouquets are a mid-winter way to cheer the home. If you’re looking for a last-minute means to show your loved one you thought of them today, stop and pick up a bunch of flowers, fresh from the florist.

“It’s the busiest day of the year,” says Brad Golter, owner of Longmont Florist (longmontflorist.com), “between both of our shops, we’ll have all eight designers working.  And while we have one or two delivery drivers on a normal day, on Valentine’s Day we’ll have 15 to 20.”

Giving flowers is sure to warm their heart, and if the bouquet is prepared by a florist, they’ll give your special someone joy throughout the week. With locations at 614 Coffman Street and 650 20th Avenue in Longmont, your last-minute surprise will look like you planned it all week.

“Lots of people come in, pick up and take what’s on display,” Golter says, and if you know what your sweetheart likes, you’ll be in and out of the shop in minutes.  But some are less sure.

“Years ago on Valentine’s Day, I looked up and four or five guys were walking around in the cooler (of flowers).  They were just walking around the circuit with a glazed look in their eye,” says Golter, whose designers and staff help make decisions easy on customers.

Orchids and Birds of Paradise are hot right now, says Barb Vigil, an FTD Master Designer who has been with Longmont Florist for 26 years. Others love to give tulips or gerbera daisies: “We have some customers that come in every year, and each year they add another rose to the bouquet.  Flowers make them happy, they’re beautiful, and people remember it.”

Keeping the shops open on Valentine’s Day means bringing the crew in on a Sunday, but everyone pitches in, even Golter’s 75-year-old father, Gary, who started the business 40 years ago. Gary has been designing floral bouquets for 50 years, bringing his knowledge of the tradition of love and flowers to each arrangement he makes.

Stop in and pick up a bunch of flowers.  As a top-100 Teleflora shop, Longmont Florist is ramped up and ready to make your day special.

“We’ll have flowers ready all day.  If you call us at 4 p.m., we’ll still deliver,” Golter says.

Read Carol O’Meara’s blog at http://gardeningafterfive.wordpress.com.