An armed robber suspected of taking money from 11 west-side businesses was foiled by two florists in a 12th try, Baltimore County police said yesterday.

The string of robberies began a month ago, said Cpl. Vickie Warehime, and included drugstores, gas stations, an ice cream store and a pharmacy.

The most recent robbery was yesterday, when a man matching the description of the suspect in the other crimes held up a gas station in the 900 block of Ingleside Ave., Warehime said.

The suspect is described as black, 25 to 35 years old, 5 feet 9 to 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a medium build and a thin beard or goatee. He displays a weapon or implies that he has one, Warehime said.

Wednesday afternoon, a man who said he wanted two long-stemmed roses tried to reach into the cash register at Bettina's Flower Boutique in the 4000 block of Wilkens Ave. The store's owner and a clerk retaliated by hitting him with willow switches intended for floral displays.

"I started whipping him with the willow. I whipped him hard," said employee Edith Robinson. "He ran out of here. He left his money, his roses and his hat."

Robinson, 55, said she grabbed the switch and hit the robber after he shoved the store's owner, Bettina Tebo, at the cash register.

"We may be little, but we're mighty," Tebo said yesterday.

No one has been hurt in any of the holdups except the robber.

Pub Date: 3/27/99