(Radio Iowa) – Iowa flower shops will be exceptionally busy places to patronize on this Valentine’s Day and if you’re hoping to buy flowers for someone special, you may have to stand in line for what will likely end up being a limited selection. Kelsey Thompson, the owner of Bloom Algona, says customers are always better served if they placed an order well in advance. “We always encourage people to pre-order as soon as they can because we start designing usually three to four days ahead,” Thompson says, “so that way, when the big day is here, we have flowers ready and waiting.” Anticipating high demand, florists across the state are hiring on extra help both in-store and for deliveries, especially with Valentine’s Day falling on a Tuesday this year.

“It really fluctuates depending on the day of the week,” Thompson says, “Tuesday’s generally busy because people come to work Monday morning and go, ‘Oh, shoot,’ and then they call us, so I’m anticipating a little bit busier than last year.” Between ballooning inflation rates and prolonged supply chain issues, Thompson says the price for roses is rising. “Pretty similar to last year, maybe a bit higher,” Thompson says, “Like everything else in the world, you know, you go to the grocery store and prices are higher, you go to any store and prices are higher, so we’re seeing a little bit of a price increase.”

She says the average price for a dozen roses this year is roughly 80-dollars at Iowa floral shops.