Over at Capital Flowers Plus in Oaks Estate, sales manager Michael Hail has been kept busy unloading 700 dozen roses that will be delivered across Queanbeyan and Canberra this Valentine’s Day.

‘‘Valentine’s Day and Mother’s day are the two biggest days of the year in this industry. Probably Mother’s Day is a little bit bigger for us, because not everyone’s got a lover but everyone’s got a mother,’’ he said.

Mr Hail has seen plenty of grand romantic gestures over his career, but none bigger than the $700 order he delivered to a house in Canberra several years ago.

‘‘It was $700 worth of roses, or a dozen dozen. The lady fell over when she saw them,’’ he said.

But what does a man in the flower industry take his wife on Valentine’s Day? Anything but flowers.

‘‘Roses don’t work with my wife anymore. It’s like taking coal to Newcastle,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s got to be chocolates or jewellery now.’’

Over at the City Florist in Crawford Street, flowers, balloons, teddies and chocolates are all rushing out the door.

Store owner Rosemary Hague and manager Anita Djordjevic have taken plenty of orders already, and are expecting many more in the Monday scramble for a last-minute, Valentine’s gift.

Asked what grandiose declarations of love Queanbeyan’s young lotharios were making to their sweethearts this year, Ms Djordjevic groaned.

‘‘It’s always the same every year, all that lovey-dovey stuff,’’ she said.

One man who has embraced the lovey-dovey spirit of the day is Queanbeyan mayor Tim Overall.

‘‘In our household I like to think every day is Valentine’s Day,’’ he said.

‘‘In our household we’ve got our 15th wedding anniversary, Valentine’s Day and a couple of birthdays all in the same month, so it’s a whole month of celebrations,’’ he said.