RED roses are still the top choice for loved ones on Valentine’s Day – and experts say the most romantic date of the year is now a three-day event.

Deliveries of flowers were already underway yesterday ahead of the day itself, with florists saying people like to receive bouquets at their offices if the key date is on a weekend.

Alison Routledge, who runs Vandella flowers on the corner of Raffles Parade and Newtown Road in Carlisle, said: “Roses are still the favourite.

“We can’t get people off them no matter what we do. They are still very popular.”

Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest times of the year for Vandella, with extra space, vans and drivers needed to cope with deliveries.

Alison said: “With Valentine’s Day being on a Sunday it’s more of a three-day thing rather than just one day.

“That makes it a bit slower on the actual day.

“We started doing deliveries yesterday as some people like their bouquets to be delivered to offices so their loved one gets a surprise in front of their colleagues and they will continue today and tomorrow.”

In the run-up to Valentine’s Day, it’s not unusual for Alison and her colleagues to work 18-hour days – and they have to expand to other sites to cope with the amount of flowers.

She said: “It’s a busy time.

“We used to use St Barnabas Church Hall as a storage base but it’s a cheerleading centre now and we can’t use the floor, so I had to make alternative arrangements this year.

“You won’t be surprised to hear that it’s the men who leave it to the last minute to do the ordering.

“But that’s fine because it’s what we expect.”