IPOH: These are hectic days for florists such as Lim Kar Yee with Valentine’s Day just three days apart from Chinese New Year.
Lim, 42, said she expects orders to arrive even until this Sunday, which is a day after Valentine’s Day.
“These are usually from those who may have forgotten to get a bouquet. Or those who need the flowers to be delivered then because they were unable to book a restaurant on the actual day,” she said.
Lim said roses, which symbolises love, remain the most ordered flower for Valentine’s.
“We have roses in various colours, including blue and black. But most of my customers prefer flowers that are in pastel colours like pink and white,” she said, adding that the roses are imported from Kenya, China and Ecuador.
“Other available flowers include tulips, lilies, hydrangeas and chamomiles but nowadays, the type of flowers picked is according to the girl’s preference,” she added.
As for Chinese New Year, Lim said chrysanthemums are mostly sold for prayers.
As for florist Terry Thin, the work to make the flower bouquets normally starts around 8am and finishes about 1am the following day.
Thin, 40, said that he had been getting requests to prepare gift baskets and vase arrangements for the Lunar New Year celebration, apart from flower bouquets for Valentine’s Day.
“We’ve received more than 40 orders for flower bouquets for Valentine’s Day so far.
“We’ve also gotten some orders for flowers and gifts for Chinese New Year,” he said.
As Valentine’s Day gets closer, he is expecting to get more calls and walk-in customers.
“One positive from this double celebration is that we can have a longer rest period after a few late nights,” he added.
“For decoration or gifting purposes, we have gladiolus, which looks special because the flowers grow upwards along the stalk,” she said.
“This symbolises the popular Chinese phrase ‘bou bou gou seng’ (step by step, rising higher), a wish for advancement in life, career or studies,” she added.
“There was once that we worked for about 23 hours on the last few days before Valentine’s Day,” he said.
