India, Feb. 7 -- Every Rose Day tells two stories, one of love, and the other of economics. As couples and friends exchange flowers on Rose Day today, florists in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula prepare for their busiest week of the year with the start of Valentine's Week. A single rose in Chandigarh now costs around Rs.100-Rs.120, double its starting price of Rs.50-Rs.60 last month. A bouquet of 10 roses, which normally sells for Rs.750-Rs.850, has now jumped to Rs.2,000 at premium stores, which is the starting cost. Florists attribute the surge to a classic demand-supply mismatch, compounded by the role of middlemen in the supply chain. "Such kind of surge is seen every year. As the Valentine's Week kicks off, the first item whose price skyrockets is flowers. While roses are the classic choice, people are experimenting with sunflowers and carnations too. In fact, handmade crochet flowers are in huge demand," says Suman Maity, who runs Vintage Bakings in Sector 35. At Khoobsurat flower shop in the same lane, rose bouquets as costly as Rs.6,000 are being arranged. "As bouquets get more elaborate, so do their prices. We might be revising the flower rates today, depending on the back-end supply chain," says a staffer. According to Satbir Singh, owner of Ferns N Petals outlet in Mohali's Phase 5, florists are the ones who are absorbing the inflation shock. "The margin has become really slim due to interference of middlemen. But we can't increase the price beyond a certain limit as that would not be fair to our customers," he says. Despite the higher prices, footfall at flower shops remains steady. Florists expect demand to peak further today, with prices likely to remain on the upper side till Valentine's Day. For many buyers, however, the price hike has come as a dampener. "Roses are symbolic of the day, but the rates are high, as usual. Buying them on quick commerce apps is more economical as compared to the local shops, where a single rose stem is being sold at a minimum price of Rs.100. On apps, a three-flower bunch is available at Rs.199 whereas a luxe bouquet can still be bought for Rs.889," says Inayat Kaur, a customer at Sector-35 flower market....