IT'S always nice to work on big events such as weddings, milestone birthday celebrations and anniversaries, but making a bouquet for a special person gives me a buzz.
If you're lucky enough to have a mother or mother figure in your life that's a good thing.
A lot of mothers out there will say they don't want to be made a fuss of on Mothering Sunday, but rest assured a well thought out bouquet of flowers will be much appreciated by most. That is unless they're hay fever sufferers.
IS IT MOTHERS DAY OR MOTHERING SUNDAY?
Constance Smith probably receives more recognition than anyone else for todays Mothering Sunday in the UK which is celebrated in March.
Anna Jarvis is the founder of the more modern Mothers Day in the US which is celebrated in May.
Different histories but the same result; a celebration of mothers around the western world.
Believe it or not neither of these women were mothers themselves.
Anna Jarvis, it seems, became quite disillusioned with the commercialism of Mothers Day.
I myself appreciate the flowers, though more than anything treasure the chance for myself and my 2 daughters to just sit down and enjoy each other's company over a good meal.
20 MOTHERS DAY FLOWERS TIPS!
1.
Plan ahead, don't be a part of the 'last minute crew' rushing around all the supermarkets just before they're about to close expecting to find anything of quality.
2.
Make sure the bouquet includes the flowers you know your mother likes.
If not all, try to include at least one of them.
3.
Don’t buy flowers that have a very shorth shelf life, that is those flowers that will only last a couple of days.
4.
Don’t buy flowers in a fancy vase especially if you know that your mother already has a cupboard full of them at home.
5.
That vase will only go to the vase graveyard cupboard with the rest of them.
6.
Not only that don’t forget a percentage of that bundle of money that you pay will cover the cost of the vase.
7.
Instead, why not opt for no container and a lot more flowers.
8.
On the other hand, if mum is not the kind to have anything hiding in her cupboards that she can put flowers in then pick up that arrangement.
9.
If the flowers are already in full bloom. Leave them in the shop.
Better to get a bouquet which has a mixture of partially opened flowers, that way they are not past their prime.
10.
If the flower heads are looking at all wrinkled or limp then leave them.
11.
If the flowers are wrapped up in very colourful cellophane and you really can’t see what the bulk of the bouquet looks like, leave them
.
12.
The clearer the wrapping the easier it is to inspect them.
13.
If you have a local market that sells fresh flowers, go there and choose your own mix. Get the florist to make up the bouquet on the spot, that way you get to see the quality of the flowers that will be in the bouquet.
14.
If you get the flowers early in the day or the day before that’s okay. Just don't leave them out of water. If you don't have a vase of water but you have access to something like kitchen towel or cotton wool, drench it in water and wrap it around the base of the stems. Keep the water in with cling film or small lunch bags. In fact anything that will help to keep the flowers hydrated until you can get them home and give them a proper drink is good.
15.
When you can get some good sharp scissors and snip the off the bottom inch of the stems at an angle, then dunk the bouquet in water.
16.
Don’t allow the foliage to get immersed in the water. As long as the stems are in an inch or two of water, they’ll be able to drink.
17.
Place the bouquet in a vase that doesn't squash the stems. The vase also needs to be tall enough to support stems.
18.
Don’t put the flowers on a sunny window, you’ll shorten their life.
19.
Change the water in your vase every day or two.
20.
If your bouquet has one of those sachets of flower food attached to use it. It really does help your flowers to last longer.
21.
It would be a good idea to avoid leaving the flowers in a very warm room overnight. A cooler room will lengthen their life.
WHAT ARE THE BEST FLOWERS TO CHOOSE?
Alstroemeria
Carnations
Chrysanthemums
Freesias
LeucadendronRoses
GREENERY TO LOOK OUT FOR
Aralia leaves
Leather leaf fern
Italian ruscus
Israeli ruscus
Myrtle
Pistache
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
No cheap faux flowers! If you're going to go for artificial, then make sure they're good quality.
PC Creations Leeds hope you have a successful Mothering Sunday.
Remember it's great to give and receive flowers any time of the year.