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February 14 — Valentine's Day in Madrid: roses that fly in for San Valentín
February 14 — Valentine's Day in Madrid starts with imports: Spain buys in cut roses from abroad every year, and flower and plant imports from Colombia keep climbing. After that, the choice is red or softer, for the office or for dinner.
Red roses for San Valentín and the routes that bring them to Madrid
Spain's flower and plant imports set the backdrop for a Madrid Valentine's bouquet: the Netherlands lead that trade, Colombia follows with a 23.8% rise, and Ecuador supplies a smaller share. Madrid's wholesalers draw on both routes: some cut flowers come via Amsterdam, and others fly in directly from Colombia, Ecuador and Kenya.
A rose destined for 14 February is bought only once an order is placed and paid for, not pulled off a shelf in advance. A typical choice is 11 Red French Roses from the roses range. "French" names a technique rather than a variety: the florist turns back the outer petals by hand, so the bloom opens wider than it would left alone.
From a Castellana office to the dinner table: which format travels
San Valentín is not a public holiday in Spain, so the recipient is often at work. AZCA and Cuatro Torres are the business districts along Paseo de la Castellana.
A hand-tied bouquet wrapped in kraft paper is easy to carry home after work. For dinner out, the timing is agreed with the restaurant beforehand, and the flowers arrive with dessert or the first toast rather than sitting on the table from the start.
An office order needs the company name and the floor; see what an office or hotel order needs.
Red is not the only reading of the day. 15 French Roses "Jumilia" opens from a white base into a pink-edged petal. The bud can reach seven centimetres and, with fresh water, lasts up to two weeks in a vase. 11 White French Roses keep the same hand-turned petal without the colour.
A Hydrangea and Misty Bouquet reads softer again, though hydrangea drinks more water than the other stems around it, so the vase needs topping up more often than usual. One flower tends to stay off the Valentine's table in Madrid: chrysanthemums are linked here with 1 November, and florists generally leave them out of a 14 February order. For a looser pairing of colours and textures, mixed bouquets set a rose beside lisianthus or hydrangea rather than alone.
Strawberries, a card in your own words and the week before
A basket is where the extras go: a chocolate-dipped strawberry, a small dessert or a foil heart balloon added alongside the flowers. The card that goes with them costs nothing, and it can carry a message or stay unsigned if the sender prefers to leave the recipient guessing.
On 14 February orders run at several times the usual volume, delivery windows widen, and no courier promises an exact minute. Booking a few days ahead, rather than on the morning itself, is what keeps the date and slot open to choice. The finished bouquet is photographed before the courier leaves, and Valentine's flower delivery in Madrid covers zones, windows and the rest of the day.
A first Valentine's order in Madrid is easiest to start from the setting: flowers in boxes suit a desk or a hallway table. Pairing one with strawberries covers both the flowers and the sweet side of the day.