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.

Three Things Nobody Tells You Before Ordering Mother’s Day Flowers in Miami (Last-Minute Edition)

It’s a Sunday and most of Miami won’t deliver. We do, if it’s in by Saturday 1 PM. Order from wherever you live, she gets the box in Miami with your words, you get the photo. Her flower, not everyone’s roses.

1. We deliver Sunday. Order by Saturday 1 PM

Mother’s Day is a Sunday. Most shops in Miami don’t deliver Sunday. We do, for an additional $30 on top of your zone rate, but the order has to be in by Saturday at 1 PM. After that it’s Monday, and Monday is not Mother’s Day. Details on Sunday delivery.

2. You’re away. She’s in Miami

You don’t live here and she does. Order from wherever you are, pay from there, and she gets the box in Miami with your name and your words. You get the photo on your phone before you call her. Everything on the Mother’s Day page is built for that.

3. Her flower, not everyone’s roses

Everybody sends roses that day. If your mom has a flower, orchids, sunflowers, peonies, that’s the one that gets a call back. And a preserved rose next to it stays on her nightstand until next year.

Every year you run out of time. Not this one. Send us her address and we’ll hold your Sunday spot.