Psst: Love's labor and loss

When the price of roses doubles as Valentine's Day nears, florists must be raking in the dough, right?

"Far from it," said Bob Estelle, a florist in Stillwater for more than 30 years. The growers, mostly in Ecuador and Colombia, nearly quadruple their prices. Freight prices also go up as the demand for cargo space causes prices to increase. Florists have to pay employees overtime. Those extra costs are passed on to the florist and then the consumer.

Florists aren't too excited about the big day falling on a Sunday. Guys know that many women like to impress co-workers when the delivery shows up at the office. Although guys could have ordered the flowers for a Friday delivery, Estelle said that most guys don't, ahem, think that far ahead.

Florists aren't afraid that this Valentine's Day will wilt and die. Recession can be a good thing for most florists. Men are less likely to splurge on diamond jewelry or dinner and a show, but $60 for a dozen roses seems like a relative bargain.

So if spouses, boyfriends and girlfriends aren't big money makers for florists, who is? It's Mom, Estelle said. She brings in the green on Mother's Day.