Mother’s Day Flowers: What to Send, Real Prices, and When to Order

Mother’s Day is the second Sunday of May, and it is the single busiest delivery day of the year for every florist in the country. Almost everything that goes wrong that weekend is a timing problem, not a flower problem. Here is what to send, and when you actually have to order.

What is the official flower for Mother’s Day?

The carnation is the official flower. Anna Jarvis, who founded the holiday in the United States, chose white carnations because they were her own mother’s favorite. The convention that followed was white for a mother who has died and pink or red for a mother who is living.

What flower is appropriate for Mother’s Day?

Anything she actually likes. In practice four work hardest: roses, universally read as love; peonies, with a short season that makes them feel like an occasion; hydrangeas, which give volume and presence for the money; and orchids, which last months instead of days. Carnations carry the history, but almost nobody requests them now.

What flower symbolizes a mother?

Beyond the carnation, the pink rose is the flower most often read as maternal affection and gratitude. In many Catholic households the white lily and the rose are associated with Mary. If you want the meaning without the lecture, pink roses say it and nobody has to look it up.

What are the best flowers to give a new mom?

Send something she does not have to maintain. A new mother has no free hands for trimming stems and changing vase water. An arrangement that arrives already in its own vessel, or an orchid that needs attention once a week, is a far kinder gift than a wrapped bouquet that needs work on arrival.

What are good flower combinations for a bouquet?

The three pairings our designer uses most are roses with spray roses, which adds depth without changing the color story; ranunculus with hydrangeas, soft texture against volume; and peonies with wax flower, where the peony carries the piece and the wax flower keeps it from looking heavy. Any of the three reads as designed rather than assembled.

What do Mother’s Day flowers actually cost?

The full range is in our Mother’s Day collection.

When should I order Mother’s Day flowers?

Order by the Tuesday before, not the Friday. Growers allocate the year’s biggest shipment weeks ahead, which means the best stems are committed early and the last-minute inventory is whatever is left. Ordering early is not really about the delivery slot, it is about which flowers you get.

Do you charge extra for Sunday delivery on Mother’s Day?

No. Sunday delivery normally carries a $30 fee on top of the zone rate, but on special dates that fall on a Sunday, including Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, we operate as a normal business day with no additional charge. The day sells out, so the constraint is the calendar, not the fee.

What time is the same-day cut-off?

4:00 PM Monday through Friday and 1:00 PM on Saturday, and it is the same deadline for every area we cover. After 4:00 PM we can still attempt same-day with a $55 rush fee. At checkout you pick a one-hour delivery slot between 9:00 AM and 4:45 PM.

Should I send flowers to her house or to her work?

Her house, on the day. Work deliveries get sent on the Friday before, which means she opens the gift in front of an audience and then carries it home on a Friday afternoon. If the point is her reaction, deliver where she actually is.

What if she lives in another state?

Fresh arrangements do not travel well. What ships perfectly is a preserved rose box: real roses treated at their peak that last up to three years without water. We ship those nationwide by FedEx or UPS, along with teddy bears, chocolates and gift boxes. See how preserved roses work.

What if I miss the deadline?

Send something that does not compete with the day. A preserved rose arrangement reads as deliberate rather than late. The worst version is a rushed grocery bouquet on the Monday after, which announces exactly what happened.