Tender hearts bloom through the work of local florists

Flowers have long been an iconic symbol of love, a tangible way to declare one’s fondness for another. But as customers eagerly flock to stalls and shops to buy the right bouquet in time for Valentine’s Day, little is known about the people who curate them: florists.

They venture into Dangwa under the searing heat to secure the best deals, spending hours snipping unwanted thorns and just-browned leaves while deftly crafting stunning pieces of floral art that go undervalued, even in a season marked by gratitude. Just as there is love in the act of gifting floral arrangements, there too is tenderness in the act of creating them, if not more.

The LaSallian talks to neighborhood florist Fely Panda, Floralle owner Mika Gonzales (IV, BSA), and 20bLooms co-founder Juliana Talde (IV, AB-CAM) about what it means to deliver a service rooted in the devotion and sincerity expressed through every bloom.

Budding businesses

With the work that goes into floristry, the steep prices of floral arrangements are understandable. However, this subsequently leaves potential customers hesitant to purchase an inevitably short-lived product. It was for this reason that florist Panda decided to open a flower stall that posts student-friendly prices near the University. 

Panda’s quaint stall, located along Fidel Reyes St. just past the Agno exit, is adorned with pre-made bouquets of fresh and dried flowers. But when customers approach, she is quick to let them know that they also offer custom orders—a process that requires a team effort between florist and client. Cognizant of her target market, she works around a customer’s budget when taking custom requests. “If you were my customer, you’d just have to tell me what flowers you want, and what your receiver likes,” she says in Filipino. 

This transaction is vital to ensure that the end product is not only visually pleasing, but also reflects the receiver’s preferences—in the vein of the popular adage “to be loved is to be known.” Such a goal is shared by Gonzales, who hopes her creations inspire lasting memories for her customers, and that each bouquet she shapes memorializes important milestones for them: “I want the flowers to tell [a] story.”

The florists at their little corner shops

Handpicked from dozens just like them, florists have a trained eye to pick out which flowers and frilly fillers would best suit their clients. However, the business behind the craft is not always blissful. Keeping up with the demands becomes especially hard when clients nearly go to war just to secure the best arrangements. 

For Gonzales, managing Floralle is primarily a one-woman job. Between balancing her academic responsibilities and ensuring all orders are prepared on time, the dozens of flowers heaped in her humble studio unit can get overwhelming. She owes a great deal of her success to her friends, who have been generous in lending a helping hand. Although Gonzales has to juggle many commitments, being a florist is at the heart of her persona. “I really want to be part of their celebrations… I just want to share that feeling of joy somehow through the creations I make,” she fondly shares. 

Handling peak seasons and curating arrangements are not the only obstacles that florists face. Competition also poses as another struggle, especially when a little flower shop goes against more proven-and-tested competitors. Talde explains how setting up shops in flea markets or bazaars became one of their more profitable sources of income. However, becoming a mainstay in flea markets proved to be difficult as a spot in the next pop-up is not always guaranteed—a hard lesson they learned when they were replaced with a bigger brand after their first event. “We were disheartened, but at the same time, you realize that that’s [just] business.”

In facing all of these struggles, one thing remains clear for all three florists: customers come first. Whether there are overwhelming orders, budget constraints, or bigger competitors, their main goal is to curate flower arrangements meant for anyone and everyone.

Sowing the seeds of sentimentality

It is easy to write off the gesture of giving flowers when bouquet prices are not the most affordable, yet floral arrangements continue to be given. Panda relays in Filipino that being gifted flowers always has a genuine message behind it, “For example, if you’re given three flowers, even if a person doesn’t typically say ‘I love you,’ you can feel that they do [through it].” 

Whether for a romantic partner, a family member, or a friend, giving a person flowers carries an emotional depth that transcends words. Deep down, “everyone’s a sucker for flowers,” Gonzales presents. 

It becomes apparent to florists that floral bouquets are beyond their flamboyance and decorative purposes. With the multitude of gifts that can be given in place of flowers, it is easy to ponder on why they remain as symbolic gifts. After all, they do not necessarily last a lifetime.

Yet much like what Talde shares, it is in its impermanence that love is emphasized. “You have to really cherish each moment, make your memories count, because life is beautiful but fleeting—like a flower.”

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This article was published in The LaSallian‘s Menagerie Special 2025. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSMenagerieSpecial2025.