Valentine’s Day Happy DDO WODWOWD WOOO DO OC Flowers Are A Girl’s Best Friend (NAPSA)—Love may be full of surprises—but here’s one you may not have heard before: According to a recent survey, 85 percent of men in America believe that simple romantic gestures—such as giving flowers—are important to a relationship, while only 75 percent of women feel that way. In fact, men are two to one times more likely to buy flowers for a loved one on Valentine’s Day. The Society of American Florists offers these other intriguing facts: * For the Valentine’s Day season, most cut flowers come from Ecuador and Colombia. Those flowers are cut, packed and handed over to shippers such as UPS to transport and clear the blooms through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, all within 24 hours of picking. UPS is the largest cargo shipper through Miami International Airport, which is the major gateway for flowers from South America bound for the United States. In addition, Internet florists, including 1-800-flowers.com, use UPSto ship imported flowers directly from Ecuador. * America’s florists report 130 million flowers were sold in the United States for Valentine’s Day, 2008. UPS transported seven million poundsof roses alone. * Because roses must be between 34 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit to stay fresh, UPS flies them in on special refrigerated cargo planes. * The Valentine’s Day order rush begins approximately three weeks before that most romantic day of the year. Experts on love advise: Send flowers or other romantic gifts to your Valentine at work. A special delivery at the office can make that special someone feel publicly appreciated. * About 66 percent of roses purchased for Valentine’s Day are red. Of the remaining Valentine’s Day roses, 10 percent are a mix of colored roses, nine percent are pink, five percent are peach, four percent are yellow, one percent are white and two percent are other colors. Studies show men respond well to vivid, crisp colors such as red, orange, purple and blue. Women tend to relish pastel tones of pinks, peaches and lavenders. * The 1990s spawned a virtual baby boom of rose varieties. Today there are close to 120 rose varieties commercially available—up from the few dozen choices found in flower shops in the 1980s. For more information about Valentine’s Day deliveries visit the pressroom at www.ups.com. For more Valentine’s Day flower statistics log on to www.about flowers.com.
