A Valentine'S Day Interview With White Tree Floral Design
We sat down with Chikako from White Tree Floral to discuss trending Valentine's Day designs, what she does to prepare her shop and what self-care method does she use to keep up with the rush!
1. Do you believe roses will be the biggest floral request for 2020 Valentine’s designs or have you seen a shift in trends towards other flowers?
Red roses are definitely the traditional symbol of Valentine’s Day from a floral perspective, but we are seeing a bit of a trend away from tradition, as younger guys, in particular, wanting to be different than their peers, look at longer-lasting alternatives that provide variety. They will select flowers like Hydrangea, Dahlias, Proteas or even Sunflowers, all of which are able to provide long term value. It might cost them dinner as well!
2. What do you or your team do to prepare for Valentine’s Day orders/rush? E.g. hire more staff, only provide certain styles, create a widespread ‘Valentine’s Day themed options.
Yes, we definitely have more staff members to get everything done in time for the peak rush and be able to run smoothly across the day. Valentine’s Day means a large increase in deliveries for the business, so we have to be able to react quickly as the orders come in. We prefer to keep our style simple within the theme of Valentine’s. Men can be uncomfortable within the florist environment and most want the decision to be taken for them, so we keep the choices to a happy medium and make them feel relaxed via my very chatty staff! Men generally only visit a florist once a year, so we ensure that we make it an easy, relaxed shopping occasion.
3. What type of self-care do you practice past/before Valentine’s Day?
Early nights leading into Valentine's Day! By making sure we are prepared before the day by planning the stock levels well in advance and have every precut and ready to go. We like to keep our sense of humour and eat a lot of chocolate! And afterwards, sleep, sleep, sleep! With Valentine’s Day this year being a Friday, at least we only have one more day before we get a break.
4. What’s the most interesting /unique Valentine’s Day request you’ve had?
I had two interesting occasions.
The first one was where I had to wrap a $100 note on each of 24 stems of red roses… yes, $2,400! I don't think the girl even noticed the red roses when she saw the cash!
The second one made me very nervous in the days leading up, as I had to create a dozen red roses with a diamond ring as part of the arrangement. I had to make sure the ring was securely fastened as well as the stress of keeping the ring safe in the days leading up.
