Valentine’s Day represents different things to different people: Love, consumerism, chocolate for breakfast. But for the floral industry, it’s essentially a national holiday — and demand is higher than ever.

Flower business booms during Valentine’s season: Of the millions of Americans predicted to spend $24.7 billion on Valentine’s Day gifts this year, about 37% of them will buy flowers.

 

This year, Latam Cargo told CNN it flew more than 12,600 tons of flowers grown in Colombia and Ecuador around the US, Australia and Europe — a 45% higher amount than in 2019.

But of all the millions of buds and blooms that flooded florists and grocery stores this Valentine’s Day, not all of them ended up in someone’s living room. What happens to the bouquets that don’t make the cut?

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