Any question answered...

Sorry, this has been my experience out here in Canada - even in summer.
There isn't an Interflora presence here per se, so they may be different. Using local shops does not guarantee local flowers. As to why even send flowers, I've sent Scilly flowers to my sister in UK, for example, which is fairly local.
And I'm asking in this case for someone else.
And sending flowers is still a nice gesture.

+1 for flowers from Scilly (disclaimer - I was born there/lived there for 10yrs):
These guys are great http://www.scillyflowers.co.uk/