Lovers face daffodil shortage

Valentine’s Day faces a lack of colour for many romantics, if millions of daffodils fail to flower in time.

Florists across the country may face a shortage in supply.  Widespread snow and frost have destroyed some crops and delayed others by up to four weeks.

The supply of daffodils isn’t the only problem. Florists are complaining of problems with the quality of the flowers that they are buying. This is beacuse the cold is stunting their growth.

Angela James of Jackie Phillips Flowers in Falmouth said the blooms were small and dull in colour compared to previous years. "

"Add this to shortages of other types of flowers and a total lack of some others and the prices have all gone up, " she said.

Farmers in Cornwall have been struggling to maintain supply in the run-up to February 14.  They say keeping up with demand is proving a real problem as a cold snap takes hold once again across the country.

"We don’t want to let down our buyers, when there is a shortage on nearly every type of flower," one said. "But we're getting good prices for them."