Travis Treser

When love blooms, he delivers

In flower shops everywhere, florists are furiously punching stems into foam, stripping thorns off roses, tying them all up pretty for the annual Valentine's Day dash to romance. It's the Super Bowl of flower-shop events, the Big Game. No place for the weak or wounded. Deliveries must be made so love can flourish. And for the past seven years Travis Treser has been on the Valentine's Day front lines delivering or dispatching drivers for Ballard Blossom, bringing couples closer since 1927.

Q: What are the most usual and unusual reactions you get when you ring the bell?

A: "Oh these are for me?" Every once in a while we get those people who just came out of the shower, and they're so surprised they drop their towels.

Q: What's your best rush-hour tip?

A: I don't know if I want to tell you. OK, bypassing I-5 altogether. Highway 99 to 509 is a good way to get down south.

Q: How have the flowers we send changed over the years?

A: They're starting to get a little more modern, more funkier arrangements with fruits and vegetables in them, gourmet baskets.

Q: Do you buy your wife flowers?

A: No, she works with me. We met here. She's a florist.

Q: So what do you buy her?

A: Anything expensive.

Q: Would you like to get flowers for Valentine's Day?

A: No. I see enough flowers during Valentine's Day.

Q: Ever had a mishap with a van full of flowers?

A: I had a driver who decided to take a turn too sharp and put the van hanging off the edge of a cliff. I had to take a new van down to handle the deliveries. He got a chewin' out from me, but we figured he'd had enough for the day.

Q: What's the best thing about your job?

A: Outdoor office.

Q: What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding?

A: We had a lot of them. The boutonnieres were green orchids, and the bouquets were kind of a mix of different color palettes; each bridesmaid had a different color. We were married on July 25, 2004.

Q: What are you going to get her for Valentine's Day?

A: She'll probably get a back massage because she'll be tired from being on her feet for three straight days.

Q: How bad is it, this Valentine's rush?

A: The first year I was dispatcher I was here all night out in the parking lot with a propane lantern and a flashlight. I've learned a few things since that first one.

Q: Is it really that bad?

A: On an average day we deliver about 130. Last Valentine's was close to 1,200 — in one day.