Roses will put you in the red

Come Valentine's Day, roses may smell just the same but will certainly cost a lot more.

The price of the traditional dozen red roses inflates to around double their usual price, costing anywhere between $90 to $150.

While roses of another colour come cheaper - about $10 cheaper per dozen at some florists - the general manager of flower auctioneers Floramax, Andre van der Kwaak, says red roses are still the ones most in demand.

Anyone hoping demand will drop and prices with it will be out of luck.

Mr van der Kwaak said Valentine's Day had taken over from Christmas and Mother's Day as the busiest time for flowers in the past three to four years.

"In general, in terms of prices, it's only the roses that move up so strongly. The increase on premium roses at this time of year could be easily 100 per cent.

"Some in the industry try to steer people away from red roses because there are plenty of seasonal flowers around, but the traditionalists always seem to come back to red roses."

Rose grower Chris Smellie of Stems in Kumeu, warned the hot, humid January weather had resulted in fewer roses and shorter stems on average.

He expected this would push up the price of premium roses to about four times their usual price on a day when demand was about 10 times stronger than usual.

Mr van der Kwaak said regional prices differed very little, both on the auction floor and from the florist.

Hospitality Association's Bruce Robertson said romance was also profitable for restaurants.

"We certainly expect that there will be some increased activity as people want to romance on the day. Part of the courtship process is wining and dining, and that or a night away is certainly a good idea and a wise investment."

"We aren't quite as commercial about Valentine's Day as the USA, so it is not a huge blip on the radar. But there are opportunities to capitalise on the lovers market."

Then there are the chocolates, the jewellery and of course the lingerie.

The owner of The Silk Drawer, Donna Vierira, said Valentine's Day was one of her busiest times of year, along with Christmas. Mother's Day comes soon after. She estimates men are about 40 per cent of her clientele, and many become regulars. Her pick for Valentine's Day was La Perla lingerie.

"Men buy lingerie rather than outerwear or nightwear and a lot of the guys are regulars, so they know the size and come equipped with the information we need."

Flowers and nice lingerie could help, following a new survey in which nearly one-third of men could not remember the last time they went on a romantic date, and one-half put watching television ahead of sex at the end of a hard day.

The second KY Brand survey of 700 people, commissioned by Johnson and Johnson, found 49 per cent of Aucklanders and northerners blamed stress as a passion killer, compared with 42 per cent nationally.

One-quarter of Aucklanders said socialising was prioritised ahead of sex - nearly twice the figure of Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa. Northerners were more likely than others to have sex simply to let off steam.


What price love?

Wondering if you're in for a Valentine's Day surprise?

* A Canadian study for the Retail Council of Canada found 84 per cent of Canadians intended to fork out for a loved one on Valentine's Day.
* Men expected to spend $120 each, and women about half that.
* Those between 35 and 44 were most likely to give presents
* Young 18 to 24-year-olds were the least likely to share financial love.
* Couples in new relationships, from six months to one year, expected to spend most ($144), and those in relationships more than 10 years long expected to spend $128.
* The predictable candy, chocolates and flowers topped the present list.


The rort of the roses

For one dozen long stemmed roses:

* Interflora (about 200 NZ florists): $126.50.
* Teleflora (about 160 NZ florists): $130, for premium roses.
* Roses Only (www.rosesonly.co.nz) $139 (includes chocolates, pot pourri etc) - up from $89 normally.
* Auckland Flowers and Gifts: (nzflower.co.nz): $94.95 from February 7 to 14 ($49.95 otherwise).
* Fast Flowers (fastflowers.co.nz): $134.
* Bays Flowers, Browns Bay and Milford: $80 to $100, depending on quality.
* Curlett's Rd Florist, Christchurch: $125.
* Vida Flores, Newmarket: $150.