Bob Sullivan, MSNBC's scam-and-fraud reporter, details his clicks through online flower sites and comes back with "$19.99 roses" that all end up costing around $35 after fees and shipping: Online flower prices still grow and grow...

If you study hidden fees and price distortions for a living, Valentine's Day is your Super Bowl. Can you name another industry where the true price of an item is routinely more than double the advertised price? Yet that's precisely what you'll encounter this week, when you realize that Valentine's Day is Sunday and you'd better get your order in fast.

Just reading about his online adventure is wearying. He concludes,

of course, the nicest (and often cheapest) thing to do is buy from a local florist. If you are sending flowers long distance, look up a nearby florist online, then call and ask what $35 will get you.

Or, if possible, head to the store on Wednesday or Thursday to beat the rush, place the stems in water, and deliver them yourself.

If you do that, you'll need to know How to keep Valentine roses fresh longer. The Christian Science Monitor covers this well, including a couple of recipes for homemade flower food:

Here's a simple formula from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden: 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon liquid bleach (Clorox), and 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice mixed in 2 quarts of lukewarm water.

Michigan State recommends another homemade concoction that will extend the life of your flowers: "To 1 gallon of water, add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Or, combine equal parts of lemon-lime soft drink (not diet) and water. Flowers in a preservative solution will last about twice as long as those in plain water."

Expect to pay more than you thought for roses, though. In Bristol, England, where Bristol shops charge double for a Valentine's bouquet of red roses, and in Jakarta, Indonesia, where the Jakarta Post reports, Price of roses soars ahead of Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year, all blame goes to the wholesalers.

Roses printed with your choice of "Gold, Silver, White, Yellow, Pink, Baby Blue" ink might have made a splash, but you can't do it now for this year. The rose in the photo comes from Speaking Roses 4u where they're $59.99 a dozen, plus $10 shipping to Rhode Island. Total: $70.98. (A glass vase costs $4.99 more.)

But the snow has squashed their last-minute rush: Their homepage now reads, "Due to the current weather conditions on the East Coast, we are ONLY accepting local orders for delivery. NO additional out of state orders will be accepted."

NorthJersey.com interviewed Speaking Roses' local owner, Henry Marazia of Lake Hiawatha, about the message (A unique gift: These roses speak for themselves):

A patented process combining computers, printers, and lasers allows the company to produce a template which stamps a message on the roses. The ink is a "proprietary mixture" that, according to Marazia, "will not harm or shorten the life of the roses."

Maybe next year.

Local florists and grocery stores are probably better options if your budget doesn't run this rich. Tulips or a mixed bouquet with one rose will still delight your honey. Or you could fudge it: Five reasons why you shouldn't buy her roses is earnest about it, concluding,

So, if you can't afford (or are too cheap) to pick up a dozen roses for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day, you have a perfect excuse. Just explain to them the exploitations of the rose-growing industry and they will probably fawn all over how sensitive and socially conscious you are. But if roses are a must, try U.S.-grown organic bouquets that are comparable in price and more environmentally friendly.