Northern Ireland florist says flowers are still best of the bunch for Mother’s Day

What’s the best gift for Mother’s Day? There’s no way you can go wrong with flowers.

Whether it’s a pretty posy or a lavish bouquet, blooms rarely disappoint (unless, it’s a sorry-looking bunch bought from a garage forecourt).

Florist Penny Hamilton, 46, says Mother’s Day is unquestionably her busiest time of the year.

“People think Valentine’s Day would be our busiest day, but Mother’s Day is the biggest event of our calendar.”

The custom of Mother’s Day can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when people who had moved away from where they grew up were allowed to come back to visit their home or ‘mother’ churches, and their mothers, on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

At the time, it wasn’t uncommon for children to leave home to work when they were as young as 10 years old, so this was an opportunity for families to meet up again. This became Mothering Sunday. As the dates of Lent vary each year, so does the date of Mothering Sunday.

“This year Mother’s Day is quite late in March, so people are looking for lovely spring flowers,” says Penny, who owns Penelope Flowers in Belfast.

“Tulips are still a big hit, so are roses and ranunculus, which is huge at the moment.”

And where once people wanted a uniform colour for their Mother’s Day bouquet, Penny has now noticed a shift in tastes.

“Everyone wants a colourful bouquet now. For years it was always pastel or white, and now customers want something that is bright and colourful. I think people are just craving colour.”

Penny believes the pandemic has made people appreciate their mothers more and they are showing their love with flowers.

“This time last year was very, very different. We weren’t even offering click and collect, you had to have your flowers delivered. People were desperate to get a message to their mother, because maybe they couldn’t go and see her or were trying to protect elderly parents.

“We were having to deliver everything and you could see, even in the lead up to Mother’s Day, people were sending flowers to their mums.

“We also noticed that the expenditure on bouquets has gone up. If you really want to show somebody how much you really care for them, you are thinking of the best, the most, the biggest thing that you can send them. They would also send a candle with the bouquet or a plant and bouquet. They just wanted more than what they normally would have sent.”

But Penny, who is herself a mum to two children, said she doesn’t get flowers on Mother’s Day.

“I just bring my own flowers home when I need them,” she laughs.

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