Mums flowers pictured on February 12, 2025, at Wild flowers gifting limited shop in Nairobi.
It is that time of the year again when lovers expect gifts. Demand for red roses is high, pushing their price to Sh100 per stem.
For many Kenyan women, as the air hums with romance, the bare minimum expectation is a flower bouquet. Do not mind the price, what is Valentine's without them?
But if you want to be different and perhaps pay less, why not get alternative flowers to red roses?
Nation Lifestyle spoke to florists about flowers.
Chrysanthemums
Catherine Warui, a florist, says there are many tropical flowers to pick as alternatives to Valentine's Day, from chrysanthemums (mums) which come in many colors, to hydrangea, lace leaf, bird of paradise, baby breath, berries and sweet Williams.
Mums flowers pictured on February 12, 2025, at Wild flowers gifting limited shop in Nairobi.
"The sales have not been as good but by today we shall make a killing," she says.
Daisies
Red gerbera daisies.
Biju Tuva who sells flowers at City Market on Nairobi's Muindi Mbingu Street with his wife stocks gerbera daisies, white baby's breath (gypsophila), and statice.
“A stem of red rose is Sh100 but other flowers go for Sh70 now," he says, adding, how much you spend on a bouquet depends on your budget. "If you come with Sh200, we can mix flowers and flower fillers. These (fillers) are spices to make it more appealing to the eye just like the way you prepare biryani, you add up so many ingredients to make it tasty," he adds.
Sweet Williams flowers pictured on February 12, 2025, at Wild Flowers gifting limited shop in Nairobi.
At the corner of his stand, Mr Tuva has made a bouquet with gerbera or Transvaal daisies, chrysanthemums, gypsophila, statice and baby breath. "For such a bouquet we are currently selling it at Sh800 but on normal days it goes for Sh600. The hike is not as a result of demand on Valentine's Day but our supplier has also increased the price," he says.
Variety of flowers pictured on February 12, 2025 at Wild Flowers gifting limited shop Nairobi.
If you want your flowers to stay past Valentine's Day, Mr Tuva says, "put them in a vase, change the water every two days and cut the stem often. You can add flower food though it is not a must."
Glittering roses
Wild Flowers Gifting Ltd founder Lauryn Warimu poses for a photo with 50 glitter roses with gypsophila.
“For the glittering red roses, we use export-quality roses and spray glitters on them to enhance them," says Lauryn Wairimu, a founder of Wild Flowers Gifting at Nairobi's Cianda House.
To maintain the glitters, Ms Wairimu says she de-thorns and prunes the leaves beforehand so that a customer can only change the water after two days, add flower food with every change and keep them in a cool place.
“A bouquet of 50 glittering roses goes for Sh15,000," she says adding that flower farms hike prices forcing them to pass onto customers.
The difference between ordinary roses and what Ms Wairimu sells is their longevity. She says, "Ours will go about 10 to 12 days, so you can buy them in advance.”
