Wholesale florist prepares for Valentine's Day: "A little over 70,000 stems of roses"



GERMANTOWN -- On Tuesday, February 14th, plenty of 'special someones' will receive chocolate, and maybe even jewelry and flowers.

“Giving a plant is something special to the one you love," said Neal Karthauser, who helped start Karthauser & Sons with his father and brother in 1957.



Karthauser & Sons



Valentine’s Day is one of the most important holidays for a wholesale florist like Karthauser's, which will celebrate 60 years in 2017.

“It’s a good year. The growing conditions are great. I think it’s going to be a fantastic Valentine’s Day," said Gregg Wilke, Karthauser & Sons GM.

And the work to make that hope a reality was well underway Monday, February 6th. At their 180,000-square-foot facility in Germantown, thousands of flowers are sourced from all over the world and then distributed to local shops throughout Wisconsin and beyond.

“We were a little over 70,000 stems of roses that we’re going to do for this Valentine’s Day," said Wilke.

Karthauser & Sons



Some of the reason for all the optimism is where Valentine’s Day falls on this year’s calendar. The middle part of the week, like a Tuesday, makes flowers appealing.

“It’s a good gift-giving time, versus going out for dinner and everything else. It’s easy. The florist will deliver to the people at work or at home," said Wilke.

Karthauser & Sons



Because a nice bouquet is sometimes to perfect way to ask, "Will you be mine?"

“Even I bring home a bouquet of flowers to my wife. It lightens up the room. It lightens up her heart," said Karthauser.

Karthauser & Sons



Karthauser & Sons



Karthauser & Sons



The folks at Karthauser & Sons said Mother’s Day is actually their single biggest holiday each year, and while Valentine’s Day is February 14th, they already have to start planning for the next special day on the calendar -- and as a result, a whole section of the greenhouse was already filled with lilies for Easter on Monday!

Karthauser & Sons