Local florists ready for one the biggest business days of the year

Carroll County Times

Feb 13, 2017 6:40 PM

Surrounded by thousands of bountiful blooms, Carroll County florists prepared for one of the biggest business days of the year — Valentine's Day.

"I never get tired of doing this," said designer Jenelle Groomes, of The Cutting Garden in Westminster. "I love what I do. It gets busy but it's fun."

Groomes has worked at The Cutting Garden for 20 years and said Valentine's Day and Mother's Day are equally busy each year.

Groomes said the shop has ordered 1,000 red roses and expects that they will sell out.

Designer Jenelle Groomes prepares a bouquet of roses while filling orders for Valentines Day at the Cutting Garden in Westminster Monday, Feb 13, 2017. (DYLAN SLAGLE/STAFF PHOTO / Carroll County Times)

"We're trying to encourage people to buy mixed bouquets with roses mixed in because the price of roses goes up this time of year," Groomes said.

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The shop receives shipments of the flowers four days ahead of the big day, Groomes said.

"We put them in buckets with warm water and a couple of drops of bleach to keep the bacteria down," Groomes said. "The cleaner you keep the water, the longer the flowers will last."

Lisa Eline, owner of Petals Flowers & Gifts in Hampstead, agreed that Valentine's Day and Mother's Day are her busiest holidays. Her shop has ordered 2,600 red roses and 1,100 roses in different colors and also expects to sell out.

"We hire four extra drivers and four extra designers in addition to standard staff," Eline said. "We're busy but it's fun. I like to hear the customers' love stories."

Rene Bonde Shiffler, co-owner of Blossom and Basket Boutique in Mount Airy, said at her shop "all hands are on deck."

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"It's wonderfully busy, but busy is never a negative," Shiffler said. "We have the coolest jobs ever. We get to create art for people to enjoy."

Shiffler said the shop ordered more than 1,000 red and colored roses for Valentine's Day and, like the other shops, expect to sell out.

"The best kind of arrangements to order are called designers' choice," Shiffler said. "Designers are artists, and they like to create something unique for the customer. We feel like the customers get a better product when we have the freedom to design."

Shiffler also encourages customers to call flower shops rather than order online.