Millions of flower stems originating from Kenya will lighten up people's Valentine's Day the world over. But, how much do you know about our colorful floral industry?

1. There are 127 flower farms in Kenya. Most are around Lake Naivasha, followed by Mt. Kenya, Nairobi and Thika.2. The most popular cut flowers grown in Kenya are roses, carnations, and alstroemeria (aka Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas).3. Kenya's high quality flower yields are due to the favorable year-round sunny climate and the altitude; perfect for flower growing.4. Kenya is the third largest exporter of cut flowers in the world. After the Netherlands and Colombia.5. Kenyan flowers are sold in more than 60 countries.6. Kenya didn't export flowers before 1970. Now, 38% of all flowers sold in Europe come from Kenya.7. 70% of our flower exports are sent to auctioneers in the Netherlands. Royal FloraHolland, a flower auction company, sells over 20 million flowers and plants every day to European retailers. That's how Kenyan flowers end up in cities like London, Paris, Berlin and Zürich.8. Kenya earned Ksh 70.8 billion from flower exports in 2016. Second only to tea which earned Ksh 120 billion.9. 500,000 people make a living from Kenya's floral industry. Up to 100,000 are directly employed at flower farms.10. Every February, a big flower farm like Oserian in Naivasha has over 25,000 workers picking flowers to meet surging Valentine's Day demand.11. Flowers picked in a Naivasha farm are typically available to European consumers within 48 hours.12. Flower exports from Kenya are transported by refrigerated air freight.13. 110 million roses are sold globally in a 3-day period around Valentine's Day.14. An online order of a dozen red roses in Kenya costs about Ksh 1,300 compared to about £50 (Ksh 7,200) in London, $75 in New York (Ksh 7,500), and ¥8,700 (Ksh 8,000) in Tokyo.15. Valentine's Day has roots in Roman times but the flower giving tradition came from Persian customs and later got popularised by a Swedish monarch.16. The Kenya Horticultural Society is the biggest and oldest flower fan club in Kenya. They organise the annual Flower and Plant Show, as well as regular plant sales.