Surviving the Florist Hunger Games: From Valentine’s to Mother’s Day

If you’ve seen me recently and wondered why I look like I’ve aged ten years since January — welcome to florist peak season!

We’ve just staggered over the finish line that is Valentine’s Day. The workshop smelling like 3,000 red roses and mild panic. And now? Now we’re stretching, re-hydrating (with lukewarm tea we never finish), and gearing up for Mother’s Day. Because in the florist world, there is no “recovery.” There is only “reload.”

“You Must Be Making a Fortune!”

Ah yes. The classic. “You must make so much money at Valentine’s!” “Bet you’re off to the Maldives after this!” “£80 for flowers? You’re laughing!”

I promise you, I’m not laughing. I am delirious. What people don’t see is that flowers cost florists significantly more during these high-demand periods. Wholesalers know it’s peak season. Growers know it’s peak season. Everyone along the supply chain knows it’s peak season — and prices climb accordingly. That gorgeous rose you’re holding? She has travelled further than I have in the last five years and costs three times as much in February as she does in October.

Add extra staff, extra deliveries, extra packaging, last-minute courier dramas, and the emergency dash for more ribbon because I’ve accidentally used it all in one dramatic bow… and suddenly I’m not swimming in profits, I’m just swimming in rose thorns.

The Hours (Send Help) - let’s talk about the shifts.

This Valentine’s we didn’t quite break our record of a 36-hour shift. Thirty. Six. Hours. At around hour 28, you enter a strange dimension where time no longer exists and you start having full conversations with hydrangeas. By hour 32, you’re aggressively conditioning tulips while questioning every life choice that led you here. By hour 36, you are one with the flowers.

Floristry during peak season is not glamorous, floaty, Pinterest vibes. It’s buckets everywhere, stems up to your elbows, petals in your pants, back screaming, feet throbbing, broken nails and splintered hands full of thorns.

It’s controlled chaos — emphasis on chaos. People imagine florists gracefully tying satin ribbon all day. Reality: it’s a full-body sport. We lift heavy buckets of water. We haul crates. We wrestle with thorny roses. We stand for hours. We hunch. We stretch. We forget to sit down.

Every peak period, without fail, the second it’s over — I get ill. My body clearly waits politely until the last bouquet leaves and then says, “Right. You may now collapse.” It’s like my immune system clocks out the moment the card messages are done.

Adrenaline is powerful but so is exhaustion!

Diet? What Diet?

Florist peak nutrition plan:

• Almond croissant nibbled over 10 hours. 

• A biscuit someone’s nan dropped off (lifesaver).

• Three sips of tea before it goes stone cold.

• Repeat.

I don’t remember the last time I finished a full cup of tea during Valentine’s week. I make them, I abandon them, I find them hours later, I reheat them, I forget them again.

Hydration? Questionable.
Caffeine? Heroic.
Balanced meals? Absolutely not.

Why We Do It (Despite Everything)

Because here’s the thing.

In the middle of the madness — when the atmosphere is buzzing, drivers are flying in and out, and I’m elbow-deep in eucalyptus — there’s magic.

There’s the young lad nervously picking out his first bouquet. The regular who never forgets. The customer who says, “You always get it just right.” The photos people send of their mum crying (the good kind of crying).

Peak periods are essential for keeping small businesses a float. They carry us through the quieter months. They keep independent floristry alive. They allow us to keep doing what we love — even if it nearly finishes us off twice a year.

So yes, it’s chaos.
Yes, we’re exhausted.
Yes, we’re running purely on adrenaline and sugar.

But it’s worth it!

Now, if you need me, I’ll be somewhere between conditioning 400 stems and looking for the cup of tea I made at 7am.

Mother’s Day, I’m ready for you. (I think.)

With slightly sore hands and a lot of love, Ellie and Barnaby (who is absolutely no help at all during peak periods!) Just good at snuggles when they’re over.