Jan and Kristen Lindell are ready for the onslaught of Valentine’s Day.

For them and other local florists, Feb. 14 is one of the busiest days of the year. But they certainly are not complaining.

The mother and daughter have owned and operated Libertyville Florist Inc. since 2000. They create floral arrangements for a wide array of events and milestones, including weddings, funerals, new babies, anniversaries and school dances.

The florists encourage anyone ordering flowers for Valentine’s Day to place their order at least a few days in advance. But don’t worry if you are clueless on what to order your special someone. The Lindell’s will help you create an arrangement of flowers you will be pleased with.

Jan and Kristen recently went on the record with Lake County Journal reporter Colin Selbo to discuss their business and how to take care of your Valentine's Day flowers.

Selbo: Maybe this is a silly question, but why are flowers an appropriate gift for special occasions?
Jan Lindell: Because they express what words can't.
Kristen Lindell: Especially for funerals ... people call up and have no words. They don't know what to say to the family. ... You let the flowers speak, and they do, because it makes you feel better. They can say stuff that you can't put into words. ... But in the same sense, if you get flowers from a secret admirer, and the gentleman doesn't know how to say, 'Hey, I'm interested in you.' The flowers do that for you.
Jan Lindell: Or, if you've had a disagreement with a good friend, and you don't know how to approach them ... it opens up the door and it says, 'I'm sorry. I was wrong.'

Selbo: I imagine you get a lot of people like me who don't know the first thing about flowers. How do you help those people when they come in?
Kristen Lindell: First we try to find out what the occasion is so we can find out what is the appropriate thing to send. If you walk in and say, 'I want to send flowers to my girlfriend or to someone I'm interested in,' ... we would find out, basically, how long you've known the person, what do you want to say ... . A lot of times we have to guide people into what's appropriate. ... Like with hospitals. You don't want to send something that's too big that won't fit into a hospital room.

Selbo: When you're putting together floral arrangements, if it's a mix of flowers, what do you look for to make it an effective bouquet that someone is going to enjoy?
Kristen Lindell: I personally look for color. I look for balance. I look for unity and harmony. There are principals of floral design that you actually follow. I try to make sure that I have all my elements and principals of floral design in there. Basically, I want it to be pleasing to the eye. It's like a painter who paints on the canvass ... we just use a different form of media. To me, the vase and the flowers are my canvass. So, I use the same type of elements. I look for my lines, my texture, my colors and to me it's a work of art.
Jan Lindell: I'm also trying to picture the recipient who is getting the arrangement [and depending on the occasion] whether we want it to be bright and cheerful [or] whether we want it to be subtle. I think that makes a difference on how we design it as well.

Selbo: Is Valentine's Day the busiest time of year for you?
Kristen Lindell: Valentine's Day I wouldn't say is the busiest time of the year. The difference is with Valentine's Day it all happens on one day. It's like, bam! So, it's one day and everyone wants [their flowers] there in the morning ... . So, that's why it's a little crazy on Valentine's Day. I think that Mother's Day, and I would say Christmas and the holidays are a little busier because they last longer. But it doesn't seem as bad. ... [With Valentine's Day] it's one day, and if you miss it, it's over.

Selbo: What is the advantage of getting flowers at a local flower shop?
Kristen Lindell: The local floral shops, the small floral shops, are starting to fade away because of these big dot-com companies. It's kind of sad. ... [One advantage] is the customer service of a small, local floral shop. Number two, you're getting a fresher product. ... [Their flowers] are being shipped by either FedEx or UPS and they are not in a climate-controlled vehicle. ... [Sometimes] they come and they are not designed. It's not an artistry thing. So, you're sending somebody a gift and then they have to put it together themselves. ... Our roses are actually cut for us and actually come to us from the grower. I think they are cut four days before we get them, at the most.

Selbo: When people receive flowers, what are some tips you can give them so their flowers last longer?
Kristen Lindell: The biggest key is to add water everyday. Don't change the water, add water. [Flowers] need clean, fresh water. Stems sometimes are not all the way at the bottom of the vase, so people need to add [water] to the top of the vase. Keep them in a nice, cool location. Not over a heater or in direct sunlight or on a computer. ... If you are going to take them home, make sure you wrap them.
Jan Lindell: [If you don't wrap your flowers] they will look nice when you get them home, and then you'll have them home for maybe 12 hours or so and they will start looking really bad because they've gotten frozen. ... Now, some florists use [flower food] packets. You have to read the instructions really well if you get one of these. If you don't use it properly, it's either going to kill the flowers, or it's not going to do any good. Sometimes this stuff will make your water cloudy. We have a system that mixes the water with a clear fluid.
Kristen Lindell: If you add too much, if you take a whole packet and put it in the wrong size vase, it will kill it. What the flower food does is it actually makes the flowers open so that they are prettier. But if you put too much in it's going to just [wilt].

Kristen and Jan Lindell lowdown

Who they are: Co-owners of          Libertyville Florist Inc.
Where they live: Kristen lives in Mundelein; Jan lives in Long Grove
Favorite flowers: Kristen's favorite flowers are gardenias; Jan's are orchids
Favorite local restaurant: Trattoria Pomigliano in Libertyville

If you go ...

What: Libertyville Florist Inc., 1348 S. Milwaukee Ave., in Libertyville
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday;  and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
Contact: Call 847-816-6900 or visit www.libertyvilleflorist.com