Last week was my mother's birthday and since she lives in Florida, I always have to plan my gifts far in advance so they arrive on time. This year, my schedule was so hectic that the night before her big day I was scrambling for something to send. I needed a gift that could be delivered overnight.
BloomNation to the rescue! Though in the past I had always ordered flowers from a site like FTD or ProFlowers, BloomNation is home to local florists all over the country. You plug in the zip code you want to deliver to and it shows you page after page of results for florists in that community. You don't have to worry about the flowers arriving on time, because the florist assembling the arrangement is within a few miles of the recipient's front door.
I looked through at least 100 arrangements and this one was one of my favorites:
After BloomNation saved the day for my mom's birthday, I reached out to them about helping to make Mother's Day just as special. I wanted to chat with one of their florists about incorporating flowers into Mother's Day as a gift or as a centerpiece at a brunch (or dinner).
They connected me to Makayla Thom, florist on BloomNation and owner of Heritage Blossoms in Renton, WA. I dove right into my mama questions!
PBS: What should one consider when planning an arrangement for a Mother's Day celebration?
MT: In the past, older generations used to like basket arrangements for Mother's Day. Now people tend to like something more airy, flowy and with more of a garden look. A taller vase is always good for a dining table or a bedside table.
Purple and pink colors seem to be most popular for Mother's Day and roses are still a favorite. I encourage people to branch out for Mother's Day and consider dahlias, tulips, orchids or peonies.
PBS: Should the arrangement differ if you are planning to host a brunch vs. a dinner?
MT: Time of day shouldn't matter too much. If it's going to be a brunch, you'd want really bright colors. For dinner, it seems maybe something a bit darker. If you plan to arrange the flowers in the morning, but have them last through dinner time, but sure to include a lot of greenery to help hold up the more delicate flowers.
PBS: Where do you advise people look for flowers if they want to make their own arrangement?
MT: If you have a farmer's market nearby, start there. They are better quality, fresher and they usually have things in season. Grocery stores usually fly in flowers from somewhere else and aren't as fresh. Trader Joe's usually has a better selection than your average grocery store.
PBS: If someone would like give a bouquet as a gift on Mother's Day, are their specific flowers that symbolize certain sentiments?
MT: If you want to do a simple bouquet, I would suggest tulips or orchids. Orchids symbolize delicate beauty. Purple and pink flowers symbolize thanks, gratitude and love. You can also do a mix of roses - yellow, pink, white, purple - then you've got friendship, love and gratitude all in one bouquet and it will be extra cheery from the variety of colors.
PBS: Anything else the readers should know?
MT: In general, I think people are pretty good about acknowledging their moms, mothers in law, grandmothers, etc. Everyone knows they need to appreciate the maternal figures in their lives.
Price range or color seem to be the most common challenges. If your mom has a favorite color, go with that color. If you want to create something special for the person you're gifting it to, talk to your local florist about how much you're looking to spend and we can work with you on that budget.
PBS: Thank you for the Mother's Day prep, Makayla!
Armed with Makayla's recommendations, I hit the grocery store for a little Mother's Day test run. The Shaws in my neighborhood had a pitiful selection, but I was confident I could make it work.
I started with three kinds of blooms - green, pink and white.
I had already set the table in the dining room (more on that in a minute) so I began snipping and testing the flowers in a few different vases.
I wound up with enough blossoms for three full vases - two for the dining room table and one for the buffet.
The flowers are accompanying a new set of plates I ordered just for Mother's Day from Terrain. I saw them in a marketing email and I flipped! Impulse purchase!
I love these plates so much. They are perfect for Mother's Day because when we were little, my mom always wanted to go to Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum for Mother's Day, so this design is an homage to her favorite way to spend the holiday.
The plates are plastic (not ceramic) making them kid-friendly and easy to use indoors or outdoors without any risk of breaking.
With Makayla's advice fresh in my mind, I incorporated all three colors into my arrangements, using the greenery to hold up the more delicate pink buds.
I ran out of pink flowers, so wound up using the leftover white and green stems for an extra arrangement on the buffet.
With a total of three arrangements, my dining room was transformed into a spring time oasis. My mother, who absolutely loves fresh flowers, will definitely approve!
If you're going to be seeing your mom this Sunday, follow Makayla's advice for creating (or picking out) the perfect bouquet. If you're like me and your mama is a plane ride away, use BloomNation.com to find a local florist to deliver a beautiful gift this weekend, one that you know your mother will absolutely love.
Only a few days left! Hurry, hurry!
