February 14 — Valentine's Day in London

February 14 — Valentine's Day in London: Kenyan roses kept at two degrees

The red roses for February 14 — Valentine's Day in London travel from Kenyan farms at around 0–2 °C, kept cold the whole way because every hour in the warm shortens a rose's time in a vase. In 2015, Kenya supplied some 60 per cent of the roses flown into Britain through Heathrow, more than any other country. Choosing here usually starts with colour, then moves on to where the flowers will actually meet the person they're for.

Zones and rates for the day itself sit on the delivery page, and anyone sending from abroad or worried about a radiator drying the air can check the flowers in London page first.

Kenyan stems at two degrees: the red rose behind a London Valentine

Nearly all the roses Britain imports travel by air, some 93 per cent of them, and more than a third of that traffic lands at Heathrow. Of the roses that come through Heathrow, Kenya supplies around 60 per cent, with the rest split between Colombia, India, Tanzania and Ecuador. In February 2017, Heathrow handled three times its ordinary monthly rose volume, all moving through the same cold chain that keeps them near 0–2 °C from farm to airport to florist.

Kenyan stems usually run shorter than Ecuadorian ones, so a florist picks by colour and the shape of the bloom rather than by length alone. The flowers for a Valentine's order are bought in only once that order has been paid, which keeps the stems out of the warm for as little time as possible before they reach a bouquet.

Victorian meanings, modern choice: red, white or roses in company

The Victorian language of flowers gave every bloom a meaning, and roses kept most of it: red for passionate love, white for purity, pink for something gentler. The lists never quite agreed with each other, so the colour someone picks today says more about the two people involved than about any fixed rulebook.

11 Red French Roses and 11 White French Roses share the same count and the same shape, and only the colour changes what they say. "French" here isn't a variety but a technique: the florist bends each outer petal back by hand until the head opens wide. Anyone weighing the choice can look through red and white roses before settling on one.

Red can feel too direct for some pairs, and a mixed bouquet such as Roses with Lisianthus spreads the message across two flowers instead of one; the mixed bouquets section holds more of the same idea. Someone sending to Wales has two dates within three weeks: St Dwynwen's Day on 25 January and Valentine's Day on 14 February.

Arriving at dessert: Valentine's flowers sent to a London restaurant

Dinner is the one Valentine's plan with a fixed moment already built in, and a florist can time delivery to match it. The restaurant's manager agrees the slot in advance, and the bouquet arrives at dessert or just before the toast.

A table has little room for a vase, so a box or the Floral Handbag "Raphael" sits more easily beside the plates than a loose, hand-tied bunch. The card that goes with either one is free to add, and chocolate-dipped strawberries, balloons or sweets can be added in the cart for the evening.

Valentine's flower delivery in London: booking the fourteenth ahead

14 February is one of the days when London orders multiply many times over, so delivery windows run wider and nobody promises an exact minute. Booking a few days ahead, rather than on the day itself, leaves more time slots open when you come to choose one. The date and the slot are picked at checkout for any address, and how quickly a particular bouquet can go out is shown in its own listing, with the rest of the detail on the delivery page above. A card can be signed or left anonymous, since the courier is given only a name and an address, and the finished bouquet is photographed before it leaves the shop.

Roses are the place to start for a single, definite colour, already covered above. For an evening out or a delivery straight to a restaurant table, flowers in boxes sit more easily than a loose bunch and need no vase once they arrive. The same basket can carry strawberries alongside the flowers. Keep the bouquet away from a warm radiator, as the flowers in London page explains.