Secrets to Saving On Mother’s Day Flowers

Editor’s Note: This post comes from partner site The PartyBluPrints Blog.

Flowers are a must for mom on Mother’s Day. The holiday is second only to Christmas/Chanukah for flower sales – therefore it’s buyer beware! If you’re not careful, you can get stuck paying too much for flowers at a florist that die quickly and leave you, and mom, feeling flat. So here are our simple tips for creating a beautiful DIY Mother’s Day floral arrangement on the cheap. Also, be sure to check out great tips from Stacy in his video report Saving on Flowers.

• Be selective when purchasing your flowers. Choose flowers that are meaningful for the occasion and make sure they are fresh.
• Carnations are traditionally associated with Mother’s Day and are one of the most inexpensive flowers you can buy. Purchase two dozen carnations (not mini) all in the same color. You can find great deals on flowers at warehouse shopping chains like Costco and wholesale flower markets, if you live near one. Arrange this monochromatic multitude of flowers en masse to make a great impression on Mom.
• Prepare your flowers before creating the arrangement by cutting 1″ off the bottom of the stems and removing all leaves and blossoms that will fall below the water line of your arrangement. Submerge the ends of the stems in water until you are ready to arrange.
• Choose a vase appropriate for your arrangement. As the centerpiece on your Mother’s Day table, keep it low. An arrangement that hinders conversation will quickly be removed. Our favorite arrangement for carnations is in a low glass cube vase – an eye-catching modern look with widespread appeal. Tightly gather carnations and cut the stems short so the bottom of the flowers skim the top of the vase.
• As a special touch for a clear glass vase: Cut a large green leaf width-wise to fit the height of vase and use it to “line” the interior of your glass vase. If you are using a tall vase, use a few leaves to line your vase.
• Fill your vase with water. If you want your flowers to look their best and last longer, add 1/4 teaspoon of bleach to the vase for each quart of water. The bleach inhibits the growth of bacteria, which can make flowers wilt prematurely and also helps keep the water from developing a nasty odor.
• Arrange tightly gathered carnations in the vase.