JOHOR BARU - Flowers wilt and die so teddy bears have become this year's Valentine favourites among young lovers.

Judy Florist owner, who wants to be known only as Yeo, said his young customers prefer to buy cute little teddy bears bunched up as bouquets as their Valentine's Day gift for their sweethearts.

"This is probably because fresh flowers wilt and die after a while.

"Teddy bears, on the other hand, last longer and can be kept as a constant reminder of their love," said Yeo, when met at his shop in Taman Sri Tebrau here.

He said he has six varieties of teddy bears of different shapes and designs, ranging from RM8 for a small bear to RM80 (S$30.48) for a huge one.

"The popular choice is a dozen bears tied into a bouquet," said Yeo, adding a standard bouquet costs around RM120.

"Customers can add stalks of flowers of their choice to the bouquet or just go without any flower," he said, adding he had been receiving orders since before the Chinese New Year.

Yeo said while teddy bears are the preferred choice among the young, fresh blooms continue to be popular among older customers.

He said tulips, roses, lilies and eustoma are the preferred flowers among his customers.

"We are busier this year," he said, adding that the orders had increased because Valentine's Day and Chap Goh Mei (its Chinese equivalent) both fall on the same day this time around.