Flowers for Valentine's Day and Covid Wreaths: Florists Have Never Seen a February Like This One

Deborah De La Flor has been a florist for over 40 years. “At a time when someone is sending you an ‘I love you’ card, someone is sending an ‘I loved you’ card,” said De La Flor, who is preparing bouquets and cards for Valentine’s Day – the busiest and most profitable time of year for florists – while making sure other orders are filled for those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. Perata works in a flower-selling area of Los Angeles bordering Skid Row and the Fashion District, where 3-foot funeral crosses made of roses and white angel wings of roses on easels line the sidewalk next to Valentine’s Day floral teddy bears. Mark Chatoff, 56, CEO of the California Flower Mall, one of the country’s largest markets, in downtown Los Angeles, said that when California imposed its first lockdown in March, some florists closed down because weddings, graduations, conventions and other big events disappeared almost overnight. We are busy for the wrong reasons.” Maria Alvarez, 25, a flower seller in Los Angeles, said her managers at David’s Flowers had been forced to turn away families seeking funeral flowers because of the Valentine’s Day demand.