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February 14 — Valentine's Day in Auckland: midsummer roses, many flown in
On February 14 — Valentine's Day in Auckland — the city sits in the middle of summer, and local roses cover most of the season. But imports rise as the date approaches: in different years roses have been flown in from India and Colombia, for example — the latter more than 20 hours' flight away. Flowers for every order are bought after payment, so the florist buys exactly what you choose — colour, format, what goes alongside — on the day you order.
Eleven red, or cream with a pink edge, for a February evening
Parnell Rose Gardens are still in flower in February: the gardens hold more than 5,000 roses and bloom from November through to March. None of those roses is ever cut for a bouquet — the stem a courier carries is a cut rose from the florist.
Eleven red French roses are the classic pick for the fourteenth. "French" here is not a variety but a technique: the florist reflexes the outer petals back by hand, so the flower sits more open than it would on its own.
Red can feel too direct for some evenings. An alternative is a rose with a white base and a pink edge, its bud no wider than seven centimetres; recut and kept in water, it lasts up to two weeks in a vase, well past the weekend. White French roses, petals reflexed the same way, are the quieter option.
In February, get the bouquet into water and out of direct sun as soon as it arrives; more on looking after roses is on the flowers page.
14 February is not a public holiday in New Zealand, so the roses you send often arrive while the recipient is still at a desk in Britomart or Wynyard Quarter.
A box needs no vase: it goes straight onto that desk in the shape it arrived, a card leaning against it. The "Crescent" Box and the other designer boxes work this way, and flower boxes generally suit anywhere a vase is not guaranteed.
An evening by the water at the Viaduct asks for different handling: to send flowers to a restaurant table, the timing is arranged with the venue beforehand, and the flowers arrive on cue, for the toast or for dessert. Sent home instead, a bouquet is simply handed to the recipient in person.
No exact address? The recipient's phone number is enough, and hotels and February weather are covered on the flowers page.
Strawberries, cake and Valentine's flower delivery in Auckland
Chocolate-dipped strawberries sit well beside a box or a bouquet, and Cake "Love" works as a dessert instead of, or alongside, the flowers. Balloons, sweets and a soft toy can be added at checkout for anyone who wants more than roses on the table.
The card is free, and signing it is your choice: the courier only ever sees the recipient's name and address, so an unsigned card stays anonymous.
The fourteenth is one of the florist's peak days: orders run at several times the usual volume. Delivery windows widen and no courier promises an exact minute, so order a few days ahead: the earlier the order, the more slots are free. Before a courier leaves, the florist photographs the finished bouquet, and anything that needs adjusting can still be asked for at that point. Each bouquet's listing shows how soon it can be delivered. Delivery to central Auckland is free, and other areas are priced on the delivery page.
A good place to start is the rose itself: red French roses for the classic choice, or flower boxes for a desk with nowhere to put a vase. Add chocolate-dipped strawberries alongside either, and browse a few more gifts to go with the bouquet for anyone who wants more than flowers on the table. Full delivery terms cover zones and timing beyond the centre.