Brett Sholtis

bsholtis@ydr.com

Most people are happy to get Valentine's Day roses from a loved one.

But what does it takes to get a romantic bouquet from the greenhouse to a York County doorstep?

Here's a look, with facts from floral experts — both those who deliver and those who receive.

Rose rush

December is the busiest holiday season for flower delivery, said Barry Spengler, vice president of operations at Royer's. However, those sales are spread out over a month.

Valentine's Day sales come close to December sales, but they happen over a much shorter span of time.

"Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day are the most intense," Spengler said.

During Valentine's day week, the York-based florist will deliver five to 10 times the flowers of an average week. That can amount to more than 500 deliveries a day. In response to the spike, the company hires extra drivers and store employees.

The biggest X-factor? Snow.

“A couple years ago we got a big snow, and everything got pushed forward a day," Spengler said. "You do the best you can. And when you get bad weather, people understand.”

Colombian roots

Most roses sold in the U.S. come from the Funza region of Columbia, Spengler said. One of the owners of Royer's regularly travels to the South American country, where the roses are selected based on quality, price, hardiness and other factors.

From Columbia, they’re flown to Miami and shipped by truck to the stores, all within a week of being cut.

More recently, Ecuador has also become a competitor for growing flowers, Spengler said, and Royer's also orders some flowers from California.

Why roses?

In the 18th century, Charles II of Sweden introduced the idea of flowers symbolizing emotions and carrying non-verbal messages, according to ProFlowers.com.

Today, red roses stand for passionate love, pink roses for friendship, white for purity, and both red and white mean unity, said Jennifer Sparks, spokeswoman for the Society of American Florists, in an email to USA TODAY Network.

Yet, people should not be too concerned about flower meanings, Sparks said. Instead focus on what type of flower the recipient likes.

Placing orders

Roses don't move unless people order them, and it isn't just couples putting in delivery requests, said Jim Waughtel, a delivery driver for Royer's Flowers & Gifts in York.

Most Valentine's Day orders are sent among family members, Waughtel said. That includes husbands and wives, but also parents, children and extended family.

One of Waughtel's customers was Eleanor Heffner of West Manchester Township, who got roses from her daughter. Though the 76-year-old sees her three daughters often, the yellow, pink and white roses she gets every year are a reminder of their relationship, Heffner said.

From firefighter to flowers

For Jim Waughtel, delivering flowers on Valentine's Day is perhaps the most upbeat job he's ever had.

Waughtel served for 26 years as a York City firefighter. Since he retired three years ago, he's been delivering flowers about three days a week.

As a firefighter, people were usually relieved to see him, but the circumstances were often bad.

"This is the first job where everybody's happy to see you and they're smiling," Waughtel said. "It's always very gratifying."

USA Today contributed to this report.