What you need to know before ordering flowers for Valentine’s Day as florists face supply shortages

It's getting close to that time of year when many choose to say "I love you" through a beautiful bouquet of flowers. However, if you're ordering flowers, you need to get ready to likely spend more money on that special someone this Valentine's Day.

Jordan Hall owns Palm Springs Florist and he said supply shortages have affected his shop, but he's been able to manage and stay on top of them.

"Everything from like the lowest common denominator, like floral tape, floral vases to containers, flowers, and everything in between," said Hall. "So the flower shortage is really a thing. There's been a lot of farms that have closed transportation is probably the number one issue."

It has caused the prices of flowers to go up.

"We haven't passed along all of those price increases to our customers because they wouldn't be able to afford flowers," said Hall. "We have plenty of products but in regards to specifics, that is where the problem is. We can't guarantee specific flowers especially hard-to-find flowers."

To be best prepared for this year's Valentine's Day, Hall started buying supplies back in June. He expects up to 800 orders this weekend alone. 

"We're having just as much trouble finding capable employees as we are with supply chain issues," said Hall.

Hermano Flower Shop in Palm Springs has also dealt with its shortages.

"We were experiencing shortages in ceramic faces because that's what we like to use so that's been really tough trying to keep those stocked up," said the owner of Hermano Adrian Romero. "The delivery driver already did Valentine's deliveries today and he said there is no red roses yet"

Romero said for Valentine's Day orders, they're sticking to one kind of bouquet which he says will make things easier. He also said the prices of flowers usually fluctuate, but as of lately they've been higher than usual.

Palm Springs Florist said they've also dealt with the rising costs of flowers and vases. Making preparation for Valentine's Day harder than in years past.

So if you're planning on sending flowers to your Valentine:

• Make sure you order early
• Be prepared to possibly pay more
• Be open to buying different types of flowers

"You might not have the options or availability to exactly what you're looking for, but flowers and florists are very creative, make beautiful bouquets all the time," said Hall.