February 14 — Valentine's Day in Miami

February 14 — Valentine's Day in Miami: close to a billion stems

Flowers for February 14 — Valentine's Day in Miami come in through the city's own airport. Before one recent fourteenth, inspectors at MIA checked about 990 million stems, and half or more of the Valentine's shipments were red roses. Red is the default here; the rest depends on the recipient and on where the bouquet is handed over — a hotel room, a restaurant table or a front door.

Red roses first: what comes through MIA before the fourteenth

Colombia and Ecuador supply close to 86 per cent of the cut flowers the United States brings in by air, and 91 per cent of all cut flowers flown into the US clear through Miami International Airport. The stems that land before the fourteenth move straight into cargo terminals by the runway, held at 33°F, before they reach importers and the warehouses of Doral and travel on to florists across the country.

For the sender, the upshot is simple: the red rose is the flower of the day in Miami. For a ready answer there are red roses such as 11 Red French Roses.

Red is not the only answer on the fourteenth. White roses, sold as 11 White French Roses, suit a sender who finds red too early in the relationship or too loud for the moment, and a mixed bouquet such as Depth of Eyes suits someone for whom a single flower feels too formal.

The florist photographs the finished bouquet before the courier leaves, and that photo shows the actual shade and the actual stems, so a buyer can ask for a change before delivery. If one flower in the arrangement is out of stock, it is swapped for something close in shade and price, and the swap shows up in the same photo.

A sender who cannot decide can message the florist with the occasion and a budget. The reply comes back as a few photos with prices, and nothing is charged until one of them is approved.

A box, strawberries and a card: Valentine's flower delivery in Miami

Roses arrive in a hat box already sitting in soaked foam, so there's no vase to find at the other end: the box goes straight onto a hotel desk or a restaurant table. A card travels with it free of charge, signed or left blank as the sender prefers, and the courier is only ever given a name and an address.

A box pairs well with a chocolate-dipped strawberry or a Heart Foil Balloon. The foil balloon keeps its helium for several days, where a latex one holds it for about half a day, so it is the steadier pick between the two.

For a restaurant booking, the delivery slot is arranged with the venue beforehand, timed for dessert or the toast rather than the moment guests sit down.

Demand on the fourteenth climbs to several times its usual level, so delivery windows stretch and no one can promise an exact minute — ordering a few days ahead avoids the crunch. On an ordinary day, most orders are handed over the same day they are placed. Delivery zones and their rates are listed on their own page.

A sender choosing for the fourteenth can start with the flowers themselves and add a gift to go with the bouquet once the main piece is picked. Anyone ordering from abroad for a partner in Miami can order the same way; if the address is unknown, the recipient's phone number is enough. February falls in Miami's dry season, November to April; more on flowers in Miami's dry season.