That’s why local florists say most of the flowers going out of their shops tomorrow for Valentine’s Day will be red roses. Though some customers opt for other colors, the red rose has long been established as “the flower of love,” according to David Harrison of Harrison’s Florist in Salisbury.

At least 75 percent of the Valentine orders received by Mona’s Flower Shop on Mount Hope Church Road are for red roses, according to owner Mona Blackwelder.

During the week of Valentine’s Day last year, Americans purchased 98 million roses. “I’m guessing this year it will probably break 100 million,” Harrison says.

Though groceries and other discount retailers sometimes offer them cheaper, most florists are charging $55 and up for a dozen roses this year.

“The reason the price is higher at Valentine’s is because the grower raises his price to the wholesaler,” says Ken Dickens of Rose Garden Florist of Spencer. “The wholesaler passes it on.”

Blackwelder says it’s frustrating to have to charge the public so much.“We’re unhappy with that,” she says.

When a loved one pays $4.50 apiece for roses, it’s important to try to keep them fresh as long as possible.

Like most florists, Dickens says he adds a preservative mix to the water of all his arrangements. But the recipients of these delicate tokens of love can also help preserve their beauty with some simple steps.

“Make sure they have plenty of fresh water,” Dickens says.

Harrison recommends changing the water every day. “But nobody’s going to do that,” he says. “Nobody’s going to that much trouble.”

Blackwelder, like many florists, attaches a pack of preservative mix with orders for recipients to add when they do change the water.

Harrison says adding a drop of Clorox to a gallon of water will also keep flowers fresh.

“Some people think an aspirin will do,” he says. “That’s an old wives’ tale type of thing that seems to work, but I don’t recommend it.”

Trimming the stems of roses by at least an inch, particularly if they were delivered in a box, is also important. Once a rose has been out of water, air pockets can get into the stem, according to Harrison. “Once the air hits the head of the rose, it’ll just flop open,” he says.

Cutting the stem under water will prevent air from blocking the flow of water to the head. “The shorter your stem, the faster the water gets to the head,” Blackwelder says.

Re-cutting stems under water every time the water is changed will increase longevity.

Roses should be placed in a dimly lighted, cool room where there is no draft, according to florists. “About 45 to 55 degrees is ideal for a rose,” Harrison says.

It’s also important not to place roses on top of or near a television or anything that generates heat, Blackwelder says, as this will cause them to wilt.

Leaves that fall below the water line should be removed because they can promote bacterial growth. Gently removing discolored or drooping petals also gives roses a fresh appearance.

Even with proper care, florists agree the lifetime of a rose is short. “We wish they would last longer,” Dickens says, “but just short of a week would be a generous amount of time that you could expect them to be pretty.”

Florist Nicole Wright of Exclusively Wright in Woodleaf says locally grown roses tend to last longer than roses that have been shipped here from another country.

If they’re fresh and haven’t been taken out in freezing temperatures, Harrison says roses can sometimes last for up to two weeks.

Even so, that’s not a long time for an expression of eternal love. Drying roses can keep them around for a lot longer.

There are several ways to do this, with the oldest being to tie the stems together and hang roses upside down in a dry room where they’re out of direct sunlight. Drying time varies from one to three weeks, according to information provided by the Cooperative Extension Service.

Dickens says he sometimes dries garden roses in the summer to use in arrangements.

“I’ve never tried to dry any of the ones that we get through the trade,” he says. “They can be professionally freeze-dried, but that’s an expensive process and one that takes a good bit of time.”

A new product on the market dries roses within three to four days, according to Lynette Yates of Raper’s of Spencer. “There is a microwave method, too, that is faster,” Yates says.

The Silica Gel Crystals for Drying Flowers, which sells for $5.99 for a 1-1/2 pound tub, can be used over and over. “It’s not just a one-time thing,” she says.

The roses should be cut so that there is a half-inch stem remaining and inserted into the gel at the bottom of a tub or any airtight container. Buds should be placed so that they’re not touching each other and covered with the powder until there is a one-inch layer on top.

After that, Yates says you just wait for them to dry.

“We sell it all the time to people who want to dry their own,” she says. People particularly like to dry roses as keepsakes of weddings and funerals.

“Roses do pretty good,” she says. “It depends on how fresh they are, too, when you dry them as to how they do. The fresher they are, the better.”

Once roses are dried, Yates says there are dried flower preservatives that can be sprayed on them to prevent shattering.

“A good stiff hairspray sometimes works,” Blackwelder says. “Just turn them upside down and spray them. This kinds of holds them.”

Even with a preservative spray, Yates says dried roses are fragile and extremely susceptible to dust and dirt. Some people put them under a glass dome or in a shadow box or frame to protect them.

For people who really want their roses to last forever, Harrison sells them dipped in 24K gold for $49.95 apiece. “They’re everlasting,” he says. “Last Valentine’s, in three days, I sold 103 of them.”

Sometimes, men will buy one for their girlfriends or wives on Valentine’s Day and add to them on other occasions.

Harrison buys the roses from a man who dries them and dips them in copper and then gold. “It’s definitely 24 karat,” he says. “I’ve had them authenticated.”

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