February 14 — Valentine's Day in Toronto

February 14 — Valentine's Day in Toronto: roses flown north in winter

For February 14 — Valentine's Day in Toronto, the roses come mainly from Colombia and Ecuador, Canada's chief rose suppliers, while the city's street market for Ontario-grown flowers opens only in May. Every bouquet here is put together to order, so the real choices are colour, format and where the recipient will be that day.

Colombian and Ecuadorian stems: picking the colour of a Toronto Valentine

Canada's roses come mainly from Colombia and Ecuador. Toronto's own flower market sells only stems grown in Ontario, and its season doesn't start until Mother's Day and runs to Thanksgiving, so Ontario-grown stems aren't on its stalls in February.

The Toronto range for the day includes Ecuadorian roses and French roses. French isn't a rose variety: florists shape it by hand, easing the outer petals back so the bloom opens wider.

Victorian flower dictionaries gave red roses the meaning of passion, pink a softer affection and white purity, though no single list of meanings was ever agreed. A pink-edged cream rose opens to about seven centimetres and, with regular care, lasts up to two weeks in the vase.

Two names carry this treatment: 11 Red French Roses and 11 White French Roses, both listed among the French roses.

A box by day, a bouquet by evening: an Ontario working fourteenth

14 February isn't a statutory holiday in Ontario. The province's one day off in February is Family Day, the third Monday of the month, so most years the date falls on an ordinary working day.

That leaves most recipients at a desk until the evening, and a box or a basket stands without a vase until evening. Stems stand in wet foam instead of a vase, and the foam needs watering across its whole surface each day. Options are in flowers in a box.

An evening arrival suits an ordinary bouquet going straight into a vase at home. Lilies are in the range too, but they're worth a second thought in a home with a cat, since every part of a lily is toxic to cats.

Where the flowers are heading to a hotel or an office, or arriving in the middle of a Toronto winter, the hotel, office and winter tips page covers what to expect.

Chocolate strawberries, a foil heart and a few words on the card

Chocolate-dipped strawberries are sold apart from the flowers and added to the same order, so both arrive as one order. The chocolate strawberries list shows the options.

A Heart Foil Balloon keeps its helium for several days, while an ordinary latex balloon lasts around half a day. One handed over at lunchtime is still afloat by the time the recipient gets home; see what else pairs with a bouquet on the gifts to go with the bouquet list.

A card comes with every order at no extra cost, and it can be signed or left anonymous. The courier sees only the recipient's name and address either way; sender details stay private.

Slots go first: Valentine's flower delivery in Toronto

14 February is one of the busiest days of the year for flowers: order numbers climb well above usual, delivery slots widen, and no courier can guarantee an exact minute that day. Ordering early keeps more of those slots open, and a date and time slot can still be picked for any zone, as the delivery zones and slots page shows.

A photo of the finished bouquet goes out before the courier leaves, giving a last chance to request a change. Where a particular flower has run out, the florist swaps in something close in colour, and the swap is visible in the same photo. How long delivery takes is shown on the bouquet's own page, alongside the rest of the details for Valentine's flower delivery in Toronto.

For a first February 14 — Valentine's Day in Toronto order, the choice usually comes down to three things: French roses for colour, a box or basket for a desk that stays occupied until evening, and strawberries or a foil heart in the same order.