The run for the

As Valentine's Day nears, isle florists stock more of the flower that symbolizes romance

Valentine's Day and flowers -- they just seem to go together. Especially roses. "Roses never go out of style," said Eric Kaneshiro, owner of City Florist. "They're classic, timeless."

The red rose is symbolic of passion and love, said to be the favorite flower of the goddess Venus. A white rose symbolizes pure love, innocence, and reverence. Yellow can mean joy, friendship and remembrance. A single rose imparts "you are the only one," according to the Online Flowers Encyclopedia; 13 roses can mean secret love and 36 conveys "my heart belongs to you."

"But nowadays, it really comes down to personal preference," said Ernelle Chun, owner and president of Rudy's Flowers.

Other flowers can also symbolize love and passion. The Flowers Encyclopedia pegs a yellow tulip to "hopeless love"; a hibiscus to delicate beauty. Lilies can mean "let's make up,"

So how early should you plan ahead for your sweetheart's special order?

"The earlier the better," said Kaneshiro. "We already start to take orders by the end of January. If orders come in too late, we won't be able to fill them."

Chun agrees that arrangements take a few weeks to design and deliver. "This year, because Valentine's falls on a Thursday, we'll be starting our deliveries already on Tuesday of that week," said Chun. "We'll probably do about 100 deliveries. If we run out of roses, we'll just have the everyday flowers left."

But Francis Wong, owner of Jenny's Lei & Flowers in Chinatown, says walk-in traffic is his main business, so he'll have vase arrangements available that week without a need for advance orders.

"Our rush for Valentine's Day usually begins a couple of days ahead of that day," said Wong. "People usually stand in line all the way out the door.

"We'll usually prepare 30 vases, 40 single roses, and 30 to 40 three-rose bunches," Wong said. "About three to four months before the holiday, we order about $1,500 to $2,000 worth of roses and ask that they arrive a week ahead. We also order more baby's breath flowers, which we normally don't use."

All three shop owners agree that South American roses are the largest. "They're bigger, hardier, the blooms are more robust," said Kaneshiro. "Red is the classic color, but we'll also have shades of white, pinks and even lavender."

For all the business the holiday brings in, it's not the busiest day of the year for most florists. "Valentine's is our second-largest holiday, with Mother's Day being the largest," said Chun. "We mainly get men of various ages as customers on that day -- very few women."

"Valentine's Day is our third-largest-selling day," said Wong. "Our first is Mother's Day. Guess which is our second? -- Secretary's Day."