Florists in Pingtan county may not have the chance to cash in on Valentine's Day as many of them have complained about lackluster sales so far this year.

A florist on Xiapu Street with the surname Yang said that flower orders for Valentine's Day have declined – by about nearly 50 percent compared to last year.

The price of roses has increased due to a supply shortage from southwest China's Yunnan province after rare heavy snowfall several months ago.

Another florist said that a bouquet of 11 roses at local markets now costs 150 yuan ($24.7) - compared to about 120 to 150 yuan on Valentine's Day in recent years.

And the price increase is stopping many people from buying flowers. So no wonder many potential clients were kept from sidelines.

"We want to purchase some roses from stores and put them on sale on street on Feb 14. But the price is too high for us," said two college students.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Niva Whyman