Probably the most given gift besides crafted children’s gifts, church going and dinners is the tradition of flowers on Mother’s Day.
Carnations have become the flower of choice for Mother’s Day.
On May 12, 1908, Anna Jarvis passed out 500 carnations to celebrate her mother, Mrs. Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis, at a memorial service in West Virginia. Jarvis chose the carnation because it was her mother’s favorite flower.
The white carnation represented the purity of a mother’s heart. Due to the shortage of white carnations and in part of the efforts to expand the sales of more types of flowers in Mother’s Day, florists invented the idea of wearing a red carnation if your mother was living or a white one if she has passed away.
Commercialization of the American holiday became rampant early — only nine years after the first official Mother’s Day — which disturbed Jarvis.
She decried the practice of purchasing greeting cards, which she saw as a sign of being too lazy to write a personal letter. She was arrested in 1948 for disturbing the peace while protesting against the commercialization of Mother’s Day, and she finally said that she “… wished she would have never started the day because it became so out of control …”
But that sincere occasion Jarvis set aside to honor her mother is still at the heart of Mother’s Day today and the tradition of carnations and a wide array of flowers still adorn many a mother’s table.
Instead of roses or carnations, Heather Zakupowsky of Orient Gardens offers several other varieties to consider.
“Pansies are just coming into bloom and can handle the cool weather so they are always a popular choice for Mother’s Day,” she said. “Besides nothing looks happier than a pansy face.”
Another popular item, according to Zakupowsky, is a hanging basket.
“Any flowers in bloom can be given,” she added.
“For shady locations, the fuschia is a an old favorite that also attracts hummingbirds,” Zakupowsky explained. “For sunny locations, calibrachoas (million bells), petunias, verbenas and ivy geraniums are good choices as there are a wide range of colors to chose from.”
However, the vibrancy of fresh-cut flowers and their colors dwindle after a week or so and annuals only remain for a season.
“Being a greenhouse grower, I’m probably a little biased to giving plants for Mother’s Day,” said Zakupowsky. “The advantage to plants is that they can be enjoyed from spring all the way to fall. That is a great bang for your buck.”
Zakupowsky asks customers where the plant will be hung and how attentive the recipient will be with watering.
“That way, I can best suit them to the most appropriate gift,” she said.
So, whether it be candy, dining out, a card, jewelry, flowers or a plant, no matter what gift is given, a mother will cherish the sentiment behind the giving.
