Florists hope to sell 6 million roses over Sant Jordi weekend

April 23 is one of the most special days of the year in Catalonia, Sant Jordi (Saint George's Day), which is celebrated with books and roses. 

This year it falls on a Sunday, but florists hope that the so-called Catalan Valentine's Day festivities will kick off on Friday and last the entire weekend.

Florists expect to sell around six million roses, with prices not set to increase despite inflation. Roses will start at €5, similar to last year, the owner of the Noves Flors flower shop, located at the intersection of Barcelona's Casanova and Londres streets, told Catalan News.

Sant Jordi is a key day for the sector, and it hopes tourists will boost sales alongside locals keeping up the tradition of buying roses for loved ones.

Sunday is not typically regarded as an ideal day for sales given that many businesses are closed, but wholesalers at Mercabarna-flor say that orders have remained stable and flower shops are preparing for the awaited day.

Ready for Sant Jordi

"We received around 2,000 roses and we will order more depending on how the week goes  as this year is not only Sant Jordi but the week of Sant Jordi," Elvira Casasús, the owner of the Noves Flors flower shop, said.

"We have already started preparing the roses, as we have orders for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and also Monday. Because Sant Jordi is on a Sunday, the campaign goes on a little bit longer," she added.

Casaús is the second generation behind the 40-year-old establishment, and she says that she has spent all her Sant Jordis at the same Eixample Esquerra neighborhood intersection. 

"I do not know what a Passeig de Gràcia boulevard Sant Jordi looks like or even a Paris one," she said, referring to the street parallel to Londres named after the French capital while preparing the roses the store will sell to those looking to gift one to their loved ones.

"We have to preserve [florists] as a profession, and the way to do it is by buying at professional flower shops and ensuring that Sant Jordi roses bought come via official channels," Montserrat Ballarín, Mercabarna wholesale market president, said during a press conference on Tuesday.

Overseas or local roses

Flower shops expect that around 90% of the six million roses sold during this year's Sant Jordi will come from Colombia, Ecuador, and the Netherlands. However, there are many varieties.

Colombia continues to be the major provider of roses for Sant Jordi, accounting for 62% of the overall market. Local roses only represent 3% of the wholesale market, as fields have had to close due to a lack of interest in continuing the family tradition.

"Our roses come from Alacant, an area in the Spanish Valencian region, just south of Catalonia, but some are also from Ecuador," Casasús said. 

"We aim to have all roses grown locally, as there is the Catalan and Alacantine rose, and we try to offer those. They have very small crops, but the roses are the freshest ones as they have been cut more recently," she added.

If treated well, roses can last for up to three weeks, but "people need to water them, cut the stems, and change the water every two days," Casasús advised.