The Best Flowers for Mother's Day - A Bouquet Guide

While there's no guaranteed number one, some flowers consistently steal the floral crown: 

Carnations: Stemming (pardon the pun) from their use at the first Mother's Day celebration, carnations remain a popular Mother's Day flower. Their affordability, long vase life, and diverse colours make them a practical and enduring symbol of love, gratitude, and admiration. 

Roses: Roses come in a spectrum of colours, each conveying a distinct message. Red remains a classic symbol of passionate love, while pink expresses appreciation and admiration. Peach roses, with their soft, warm hues, can signify a heartfelt "thank you" or "I miss you”. 

Peonies: Peonies, literally bursting with vibrant colours and a captivating fragrance, represent prosperity, happiness, and good fortune. A bouquet of peonies is a wonderful way to remind Mum of the joy and happiness she brings to your life. 

Lilies: White lilies, often associated with purity and innocence, can symbolise the everlasting bond you share with your mum. Pink lilies, with their gentle touch, symbolise adoration and deep affection. 

Freesias: Known for their amazing fragrance, there are one of women’s favourite flowers.  

Your mum’s unique, of course. We can’t throw her into a personality bracket, but there are probably some traits you recognise below to help you pick Mother’s Day flowers:

Your mum is the overly-caring type

She’s always thinking about and doing things for you and others. She’s deeply connected with those around her, even at the expense of her own free time. Being there for other people and taking an interest in them is what makes her, her.

We recommend spray carnations, they’re one of the longest-lasting cut flowers to symbolise your mum’s long-lasting love. They go wonderfully with the daintier alstroemeria, and even gerberas, daisies with a lovely cheer to them.

Your mum is a free spirit

Caring, absolutely, but definitely not overbearing. Your mum takes time for herself and doesn’t actively reach out to everyone.

Flowers with loads of texture and non-uniform shapes suit her character. The one that comes to mind is peonies with their ruffled appearance. Each peony is unique with a stunning quality to it, plus it looks luxurious in any setting.

Your mum is the heart of the family

Everyone comes to her house and gravitates to her at parties. She’s the one you and others go to for advice, comfort, and a touch of good love.

There’s no better flower for your mum in this case than roses, with their softness and backbone-role in flowerbeds bringing meaning to your gift.

Another pick is chrysanthemums, aptly shortened to mums; they go well with roses in mixed bunches and are usually quite large for an impressively wide bouquet.

Your mum adores the outdoors

You’ll find her drinking a good cup of tea outside at the faintest glimpse of sunshine, throwing all sorts of food to the birds, and tending to her garden.

Sunflowers, roses, and gerberas are your flower picks here. They’re garden commoners and bring a natural, familiar feel to your Mother’s Day gift.

Your mum is an innocent, pure soul

She never does any harm and keeps her thoughts to herself, but will also correct your own thoughts if they don’t reflect how she brought you up.

Your mum deserves lilies in pure white, yellow, or another bright colour. They’re the most ornamental of flowers and traditionally mean peace and prosperity. A potential hiccup is some associating lilies with funerals, in which case, roses are your go-to.

How big is big enough, how small is too small; you know the drill and thought process to picking a bouquet. You don’t want to hand anything over that won’t leave a mark, and most importantly, you don’t want a bouquet from anyone else to outshine yours.

The numbers are pretty consistent anyway:

• Eight to 10 flowers are normal for a standard bouquet

• A medium one might have 15 flowers

• Large bouquets can contain 20 or 30 main flowers

There’s a temptation, of course, to go as enormous as you can with Mother’s Day flowers, and that will go down extremely well because it looks expensive. But bigger doesn’t always work out best. Consider these factors:

• Where is your mum even going to keep the bouquet? If it’s on a side table or windowsill, then a large bouquet is not going to work.

• What vase is your mum going to keep them in? A narrow vase suits a small bunch best, and a thick vase a large bunch.

Flowers you purchase online and in-store are usually “in bud,” meaning that the primary flowers haven’t opened just yet. They’ll usually bloom within two days of purchase and last seven to 14 days with daily water changes.

Any bouquets that have already-open flowers are not fresh. They are usually a few days old or weren’t properly chilled following cultivation.

Freshness matters if you’re strapped for time, going to buy the bouquet a few days before, and keep it somewhere where it’ll be alright in the meantime. 

Don’t worry too much, though. Provided the flowers are fresh, they’ll stay looking good for several days if you keep them in clean water.

Flowers are usually enough. Sometimes, even a card is enough. Going a little further is always appreciated, though. A few extras to consider:

• A vase, but of course. Infinitely usable with any flowers in the future and prevents any problems with finding a home for your bouquet.

• Chocolates. Never a big thing, are they?

• A candle. Your mum can light it at night and think about you at that moment. Plus, it’ll last longer than the flowers (can’t say the same for the chocolates).

Our Mother’s Day bouquets put all the things we’ve discussed into practice with the most popular flowers, combinations, and gift extras. Pick a bouquet you think your mom will love and send it her way for Mother's Day!