Ordering flowers for Valentine's Day? Don't delay

VENICE BEACH — It’s not too late to order Valentine’s Day flowers and have them delivered in time, but the best supply (i.e., roses) may be gone this weekend.

That’s the word from four online floral retailers, Bouqs, 1-800-Flowers, BloomNation and BloomThat.

“I expect to be sold out over the weekend,” said John Tabis, co-founder of the Bouqs Co., in a Facebook Live broadcast from company headquarters Friday.

“The earlier you order, the better,” agrees Farbod Shoraka, a co-founder of BloomNation, which brings local florists to online orders. Waiting until the last minute "isn't worth the risk.”

You’ll still be able to get flowers on the big day, but you may pay more for the stems and delivery.

Floral start-ups aim at younger generation with flash sales, organic bouquets

Expect to spend around $50 for a dozen roses, and potentially more, with different varieties of flowers and add-ons like vases and chocolates.

How the four firms differ:

--1-800-Flowers: The largest of the online florists has a special weekend sale of a dozen roses for $36.99, plus $14.95 shipping, a $4.95 Valentine's Day surcharge and $4.95 California tax, bringing the grand total to $61.84.

--Bouqs offers a dozen roses for $50, with free shipping (except on Saturdays) and $4.50 tax. (A special deal is the “Mystery” Bouq, which includes a dozen roses and a second bouquet for free.)

--BloomNation’s red roses cost $49.95 plus $14.50 shipping and around $5 for tax. However, since they work with local florists, some local florists offer free shipping, and you can always stop by and pick up the stems at no charge.

--BloomThat doesn’t promote roses, but 12 red, pink and purple tulips wrapped in burlap will go for $50, plus $12.99 shipping and $5.67 tax.

At 1800Flowers, the company expects to ship 15 million stems of flowers for the holiday, up from 13 million in 2016. (Mother’s Day, the busiest day of the year for the floral industry, is nearly twice the volume, notes 1800 CEO Christopher McCann.)

Monday will be his busiest day for orders, he adds, but he says the website will continue taking orders through noon Tuesday.

A big issue for consumers is having their flowers last, and not wilt within days. In our broadcast, Tabis says his flowers can last up to a month, with proper care. That includes trimming the flowers every day, and replacing the water 100% every two days.

ICYMI, check out our Facebook Live broadcast from the Bouq's Co. by clicking the link below: