Have you ordered flowers for your mother yet?

Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 8th, and to celebrate Mother's Day, you should send something special to the woman who gave you life. There are very few mothers who don't love receiving flowers. Flowers are a luxury, something that many of our mothers probably don't buy for themselves regularly. Having a beautiful arrangement delivered to her doorstep will surely put a smile on your mother's face and make her feel loved and appreciated. Here are some tips for ordering flowers for your mummy:

1) Find a good flower shop! The best way to do this is to scope out the flower shops near your mother's home the next time you visit her. Flowers from a chain like Conroy's or a counter at a grocery market just won't do; you want a lovely, curated, locally-owned shop, and if you can find a shop that's a little high-end and carries a nice variety of interesting and unusual flowers, all the better. You can also look online, but beware of "stock" websites, generic sites made by Telaflora or FTD (floral wire services). Look for personal sites that have pictures of ACTUAL arrangements made by the shop's staff, not generic stock images that tell you nothing about that shop's particular design aesthetic. When you find a designer you love, ask for that designer every time you call! Be loyal! Follow that designer. I've followed my favorite designer in my mother's hometown (who also trained me in design!) for many years and to four different shops, but I still always call her because I trust her work!

2) Order early. It's not too late to order today (I did!), but if you order earlier in the week it will be easier for you to be specific about what you want, rather than having to take whatever the flower shop has left.

3) Be specific. The more you know information you give, the more likely you are to get something really perfect. Don't be TOO specific, you do need to leave the details to the designer: but you should absolutely give a color palette and choose a primary flower. Do you know what your mum's favorite flower is? Ask for it! Always give a second choice, too.

4) Know how much to spend. Don't be surprised if your mom gets a teeny tiny arrangement if you said you only wanted to spend $50. Flowers aren't cheap. Vases aren't cheap. And you're paying for the time of a great designer who is creating an incredible work of art! Don't forget that there is tax and a delivery charge on top of your order charge. Prices range dramatically across the United States (primarily due to freight/shipping costs), but I think it's safe to say that you should expect to spend between $75 and $150 for a moderately-sized vase arrangement (prior to tax/delivery). If you want something big and impressive, think in the $200-$300 range. I've made thousand-dollar arrangements here in Los Angeles, so the sky is the limit. If you're on a budget, why not send a fresh blooming plant like an Azalea ($40-$75) or a corsage ($30-$45)? I'm actually sending a corsage to my mummy this year. She recently had a birthday, so I had flowers delivered to her not too long ago, and thought I'd send her a corsage instead this Mother's Day. Corsages sometimes get a bad rap for being "dated," but I think they are classic, and the only thing that makes them "dated" is if they are made by a poor designer and sport a lot of baby's breath. A big, dramatic shoulder corsage? Timeless and always gorgeous! If your mother is going to church and out to luncheon on Sunday, this could be a good choice for her, too. Maybe your mother would prefer a wrist corsage? Or a little nosegay to hold? Or a floral nosegay to attach to her purse? Or some flowers for her hair? Feel free to get creative.

5) Don't forget the card! Having worked at flower shops for many years, I constantly had to ask people for a card message, and you wouldn't believe how many people had forgotten about that and then hemmed and hawed for several minutes, trying to come up with something. Keep it short and sweet, but think about what you're going to say before you place the call to the floral designer.

Hope these tips help you ... Happy Mother's Day to all the Mummies out there!