Flower Trade Booms Ahead of Valentine's Day

The flower business was booming on Monday ahead of Valentine’s Day -- the day when lovers around the world declare their love with a little help of flowers, chocolate, and other romantic surprises. At the world's biggest flower auction, located outside Amsterdam in the small Dutch town of Aalsmeer, traders were snapping up fifty to sixty percent more flowers than during any other week of the year. The auction hall is the same size as about 100 football fields and flowers are shipped from as far away as Kenya, Ethiopia, Israel and South America.

"We do fifty to sixty percent more trade than a normal week and for example the rose, most popular flower during the Valentine period, of course, it's the flower of romance. There is a turnover last week of a hundred million, more than a hundred million euros, and the tulip also more than one hundred million euros," said Lex van Horssen, spokesperson of Flora Holland.

While red roses are the most popular flowers for Valentine's Day, the spokesperson of Flora Holland said that red tulips also sell well. The European Union is going through a severe economic crisis this year, but the spokesperson said it should have little impact on this year's trading. In the European capital Brussels, florists were busy preparing floral arrangements and various bouquets for the day of love. They expected activities to pick up by Monday evening or Tuesday lunchtime.