GREENSBORO, N.C. — When I say the words Valentine's Day and ask you for a flower that comes to mind, it has to be roses, right?
Yahoo Finance looked at the cost of a dozen roses by the state if you're getting them delivered. The average price is $80. North Carolina is coming in just under that at around $75 dollars. The cheapest state is Pennsylvania for about $66 for a dozen roses delivered and Hawaii is the most expensive at $108.
By this point, florists are booked for delivery, but that doesn't mean you can't get those flowers. Many florists have grab-and-go. Grocery stores would be my next stop. I did an online look around and most had a dozen roses for about $30.
My real find was Costco. They have a dozen long-stem roses for just under $18. When I called the Greensboro store today, a worker confirmed they had red, pink, yellow, and all kinds of colors.
No matter what kind of flowers you get or give for Valentine's Day, you need to know what to do with them.
4 STEPS TO MAKE YOUR FLOWERS LAST LONGER
#1- snip a half-inch off each stem.
#2- remove any leaves that will be below the water line. Leaves and water make for rotting and cloudy water.
#3- put new water in your vase, make sure the water is at room temperature.
#4- Use the Flower Food packet. No aspirins, no sprite, no drop of bleach, use what came with it.
That flower food packet has the right amount of sugar, acid, and bleach. So, trust it. Now, if you don't have the flower packet you can make your own with a sugar substance, bleach, and or white vinegar. Here is advice from Martha Stewart.