For My Beloved Mom in New Jersey

Flowers for a mother: longevity outranks drama

A bouquet for a mother differs from one for a friend or a colleague in a single respect. It stays in the house, gets looked after, and gets shown to visitors. Vase life therefore matters more here than the visual impact at the moment of handing it over.

From which a straightforward rule follows. Between a spectacular bouquet that lasts four days and a quiet one that lasts a fortnight, the quiet one usually wins.

What lasts

The long lived flowers in the gift range are well known, and they generally cost less than the temperamental ones.

• Chrysanthemum, up to two weeks, with spray types supplying volume.
• Alstroemeria, around two weeks, many flowers per stem.
• Dianthus, a fortnight and more, in varieties nothing like the carnation of memory.
• Cut orchid, two weeks, and no scent at all.
• Hydrangea, about a week, where one stem holds a room.

Roses sit in the middle at roughly a week with decent care. Peonies, ranunculus and poppies are beautiful and brief, and they belong to occasions where the moment matters more than the month.

About fragrance

Scented bouquets in a small flat do not always work. Lilies, stock and hyacinth fill a room completely, and by nightfall the fragrance becomes something to live with rather than enjoy.

For a mother in a one or two room flat, unscented or lightly scented flowers are the safer choice: chrysanthemum, lisianthus, gerbera, orchid.

Allergies deserve a direct question too. Reactions are not limited to pollen. Lilies, hyacinths and strong fragrance trigger headaches more often than most buyers realise.

Test a bouquet for a mother with two questions: how long will it last, and will it keep her awake.

Size and the vase

A large armful photographs beautifully and creates a problem indoors. Without a vase built for fifty stems, the bouquet has to be divided or stood in a bucket.

A middle size, fifteen to twenty five stems, fits a standard vase and still reads as a proper gift.

Sending a vase alongside the flowers is a good answer whenever you know there is nothing suitable at home.

If flowers are crossing New Jersey and she is not expecting a courier, tell her in advance. An unannounced surprise frequently ends with an unanswered doorbell and a second attempt the next day.

JFLOO keeps flowers for a mother as their own selection. Start with two questions: what size vase she owns, and how she feels about strong fragrance.