This Mother’s Day, florists around the nation would like you to think outside the vase when you choose a floral arrangement for mom.
“Your mother is special and unique, and her floral arrangement should reflect that,” says Kate Owsley, a florist on BloomNation and lead floral designer at Back Bay Florist in Boston. “Many people ask florists for a typical ‘Mother’s Day’ arrangement, but there isn’t such a thing. Every mom has her own tastes, and it’s her style that the arrangement should reflect.”
Rather than ordering a generic arrangement, think about your mom’s favorite colors, the style of her home, the way she dresses and her personality. Here are a few different styles to give you some ideas.
Traditional: If mom tends to like a classic look, a traditional arrangement is the perfect gift. Such designs are usually created in tall vases and include flowers such as rose, lily, daisy, stock, iris, tulip, gladiola and baby’s breath.
Cottage: Moms who have cottage-style décor in their homes and like to garden are often delighted with arrangements that sport blue hydrangea, sunflower, lilac, snapdragon, anemone, poppy pod, hyacinth and daffodil. If your cottage-style mom is also a gardener, get ideas about her favorite flowers by what she grows.
Modern: Sleek, monochromatic designs are what moms with a contemporary style like. Good choices in flowers for such dynamic floral arrangements include cala lily, flowering branches, white hydrangea, green trick dianthus, orchid, ginger, succulents and ti leaves.
Eclectic: The mom who marches to her own drum and sports a unique, quirky style tends to gravitate toward unusual, flowing arrangements on the wild side containing flower and filler selections such as peony, jasmine, silver brunia, veronica, hellebore, scabiosa pods, ranunculus and berries.
Feminine: If your mom is still a girl at heart, then an ultra-feminine design is sure to make her smile. Choose flowers in blush and soft pink tones, such as rose, peony, hydrangea, dusty miller and lilac.
Everlasting: Those moms who prefer something more enduring than a bouquet of cut flowers enjoy containers of planted items, such as houseplants. Other good long-lasting options include dried flower bouquets that can be displayed indefinitely and succulent gardens.
Choose containers carefully. Whatever type of floral arrangement you get for mom, pay equal attention to the vase, which pulls the whole arrangement together, says Owsley. “Vases run the gamut, from wooden or vintage pedestal glass to concrete or metal. Also keep in mind that the dimensions of the opening in the vase will dictate the style of arrangement that can be made.”
Mother’s Day vies with Valentine’s Day as the busiest for florists, so order as early as possible, says Owsley. “And don’t forget the note. Take the opportunity to let mom know how much you care.” If you order through the online floral marketplace, BloomNation, you can get a handcrafted design from one of the country’s top florists. They send you a photo of the arrangement before it’s delivered to mom.
Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of seven books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com
