The last time you received a vase full of roses, or bought a beautiful bouquet to brighten your table, did you wonder what it took to get those flowers to you?

We talked to local florists about where and how they source their blooms, why prices vary so much during the year, which buds Idahoans like best, even why a dozen red roses are so much more expensive on Valentine’s Day.

Across the globe and just next door

Most of the flowers that can be purchased at florists in south-central Idaho come from overseas, including Columbia, Ecuador, other South American countries, the Netherlands, Africa and Australia.

“The only way you can get them in and have them still viable to use is to bring them in by plane,” said Elizabeth Lehmann, co-owner of Canyon Floral in Twin Falls.

They arrive at a few major American ports, primarily in California and Florida (where most U.S.-origin flowers are grown), and from there are put either on another plane or in refrigerated trucks.

Most are taken to distribution warehouses, like those in Boise, Idaho Falls and Spokane, Wash., although some are shipped directly to the florists. Over the past few decades, a few companies have tried to open distribution warehouses in Twin Falls, said Arlene Jackson, owner of Arlene’s Country Garden in Jerome; there isn’t enough volume to support the business, she said.

But even without a local warehouse, it’s still pretty speedy between field and florist.

“Basically, it is about three days’ turnaround, from the time they’re cut to the time we get them,” said Amy Miller, floral designer for Fox Floral in Twin Falls.

Unless they’re from a little closer to home — like alstroemerias grown in Arco, or gladioli grown in Twin Falls. There are also greenhouses in the Hagerman area, but they tend to specialize in potted plants, rather than cut flowers.

Pricey irises in October?

Despite the global flower market, there are still flowers that are only available — or less expensive, while at their most beautiful and fragrant — during their natural growing season.

“There are certain flowers that are available at certain times of the year; daffodil is available only in early spring,” Jackson said. “Because we’re in a world market, most of the flowers you can get most of the time. (But) when they’re in season, they’re a much more beautiful bloom than when they’re forced.”

How much labor goes into a flower is a big factor in its retail cost; when growers can rely on Mother Nature instead of greenhouses, the labor decreases.

“You may have months of care to produce that (greenhouse) rose, compared to larkspur, which grows in a field and you have rows of it that you can go and cut,” Lehmann said.

Other factors include weather — a storm can wipe out a big part of one flower’s crop in one country, leaving other growers scrambling to fill the gap in the market.

And then there’s gas. Because so many flowers come in from overseas or distant states, they rely on planes and trucks to get to you. So when you’re cringing at the pump, so are the florists, because they know they’ll have to pass on a fuel surcharge to their customers.

Flowers are like other retail products, too; inflation has an effect. “Flowers have gone up just like everything else, but people have a hard time getting used to that,” said Clint Earl, who represents Fox Floral.

The Valentine’s Day effect

Roses are red, violets are blue — but it’s those red roses that every man wants on Valentine’s Day for his sweetheart. And as those guys know, the cost of a dozen red blooms is a lot more on Feb. 14 than it is on, say, Aug. 14.

“Everybody wants spring (flowers) when it’s spring, everyone wants sunflowers in the fall, everyone wants roses on Valentine’s Day,” Jackson said. But there are only so many roses planted and harvested by growers at any given time. “Supply and demand makes a difference in the prices, and the growers realize this, so it’s the growers passing on the raise in prices.”

And though pink and red roses fly out the door in mid-February, florists can’t just order extra in those hues. The growers and distributors also make them take orange, yellow and other nontraditional colors of roses — so that’s why you see a lot of mixed-color bouquets promoted along with those of the rosy shades.

Do be extra-cautious at that time of year, though, Earl said. The flowers you see advertised on TV or on Internet banners may be coming from less reputable companies than your local florist. “People see these ads for inexpensive roses in the Yellow Pages; they don’t look like the pictures, they come in a box and look (bad),” he said. “You get what you pay for, just like anything else.”

What Idahoans ask for

Although environmental concerns, worker rights and other sustainability issues are on people’s minds when they buy other things, local florists say they are rarely asked about those issues by south-central Idahoans.

Instead, your neighbors tend to be fairly traditional — irises, lilies, roses, carnations and Gerber daisies remain popular — and more concerned about the impact on their pocketbook than on how sustainable the flowers are.

There are always those who want exotic blooms, but Idaho florists suggest you give them a few days’ extra notice for those, as they may not have them in stock. And plan to pay more the more unusual the flower.

“Some call up and they want a specific group of flowers, they’ll name off five or six of them and expect us to have them at a really good price,” Earl said. “Flowers are a luxury; we just try to make them as happy as we can for the money.”

An easy and relatively inexpensive way to modernize your bouquets, even if you love traditional flowers, is in the shape, style and material of the vase.

“Many people want a more contemporary container because then they have a nice keepsake afterward,” Lehmann said. Geometric shapes, a brushed metal finish, even bamboo or ceramic designed to look like bamboo are popular ways to modernize, as are accessories like wire treatments or beads.

No matter the style of bouquet, Earl said he is consistently surprised at the effect flowers can have on those who receive them. “I had no idea flowers had such power; they can really brighten people’s lives,” he said.

Ariel Hansen may be reached at 788-3475 or ahansen@magicvalley.com.