FLOWER POWER; WEEKEND HOLIDAY HAS BUSINESS BLOOMING.Byline: Phil Davis
On most Valentine's Days Valentine's Day: see Saint Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day Lovers' holiday celebrated on February 14, the feast day of St. Valentine, one of two 3rd-century Roman martyrs of the same name. St. , Beverly Hasson-Ing brings in her full staff and scrambles Scrambles is a game often played in British schools. Someone shouts "Scrambles!" and throws something (like sweets or money) into a crowd. The first person to retrieve the item wins it. to guarantee that 500 deliveries of roses, balloons and teddy bears arrive at their appointed offices - all before lunch. This year, Hasson-Ing is sighing with relief: Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday, spreading out the days of delivery from workplaces on Friday to homes over the weekend. ``For us, it's really a little easier,'' Hasson-Ing, owner of Mr. B's Flowers in Winnetka, said Wednesday. In a way, the weekend holiday accomplishes what the flower industry has long sought - to transform Valentine's Day into Valentine's Week. By Wednesday, florists' shelves were full and ready to begin rolling out orders until Sunday. ``A customer just bought three orders of extra long, fancy Ecuadorean roses, and they're going out today,'' said Rae Wexler, assistant manager of Casa De Flores Flores, town, Guatemala Flores (flōrəs), town (1990 est. pop. 2,200), capital of Petén department, N Guatemala. Flores was built on an island in the southern part of Lake Petén Itzá and on the site of the in Encino. ``It takes a little pressure off. There's still a lot of labor and things to take care of, but we have a little more time between customers,'' Wexler said. At Mr. B's, Hasson-Ing said more than half of the Valentine's Day deliveries are going out Friday, but she expects a weekend rush of anxious, last-minute customers - all men. ``Men, for the most part, don't even think about it until Friday - sometimes Sunday,'' she said, smiling. Don't sweat it, men. Florists will be standing by. Florist shops were fairly quiet Wednesday - what workers call the calm before the storm. But a few men ventured out at lunch or after work to make sure their loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl got a surprise. ``I bought my wife a bouquet bouquet a structure resembling a cluster of flowers. with M&Ms. She loves candy,'' said John, who asked that his full name be withheld because it might spoil spoil v. spoiled or spoilt , spoil·ing, spoils v.tr. 1. a. To impair the value or quality of. b. To damage irreparably; ruin. 2. the surprise. Jason had similar secret plans. He said sending flowers to his girlfriend at work Saturday gives her the chance to show off a little in front of her co-workers. ``There are other women in her office who get a lot of stuff, so I want her to be noticed,'' Jason said. ``I want everyone in her office to know that she's something special and that I love her.'' More important, the early delivery lays the groundwork for a romantic Sunday. Jason said. He said Joanne can expect a hint of ``future plans'' with her yellow roses. ``She's not expecting anything at all,'' he said. ``I know she'll turn red.'' As of Wednesday afternoon, Marty Lavitt, owner of The Wild Flower in Northridge, said he'd already sold 2,400 Ecuadorean roses - 200 dozen at $80 a pop - and he expected to sell an additional 600 dozen before Valentine's Day. And that doesn't include other plants, teddy bears, balloons and floral flo·ral adj. Of, relating to, or suggestive of a flower: a fabric with a floral pattern. flo arrangements, like the 13 identical carnation carnation: see pink. carnation Herbaceous plant (Dianthus caryophyllus) of the pink family, native to the Mediterranean, widely cultivated for its fringe-petaled, often spicy-smelling flowers. and lily bouquets that Cheryl Petritz was busy making for a legion of law office secretaries Wednesday. ``Their bosses are so generous they all get a Valentine's present,'' Petritz said, snipping flowers and placing them perfectly with barely a glance at the arrangements. ``When you make thousands of these things "These Things" is an EP by She Wants Revenge, released in 2005 by Perfect Kiss, a subsidiary of Geffen Records. Music Video The music video stars Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band Garbage. Track Listing 1. "These Things [Radio Edit]" - 3:17 2. , you just kind of know where things go,'' she explained. As big flower holidays go, Petritz, a 28-year veteran of the flower business, prefers Mother's Day. ``It's not all roses, so your hands don't get too sore,'' she said, displaying rose-pricked palms. ``Plus, by Valentine's Day you're so sick of seeing red and white because of Christmas. You just don't want to see it anymore.'' Jim Peterson
James Scott "Jim" Peterson, PC, BA, LL.B LL.M DCL (born July 30, 1941) is a retired Canadian politician and former Minister of International Trade. of Reseda bought his wife a bouquet Wednesday - but it was for their Feb. 11 wedding anniversary. ``We just do cards on Valentine's Day,'' he said. ``We got married on the closest Saturday to Valentine's Day because that year Valentine's Day was on a weekday, and we couldn't make our friends come to a wedding in the middle of the week.'' CAPTION(S): photo PHOTO (color) Cheryl Petritz works on floral arrangements Wednesday at The Wild Flower shop in Northridge in anticipation of zero hour. Phil McCarten/Daily News |
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