One “trade secret” that surprisingly few people know about is that during Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day it’s actually best to get your flowers sent a few days in advance.

This is because of simple supply-and-demand–there is only a limited supply of flowers during this period grown by all the flower farms in South America, Europe, and the US, and they go very quickly.

This is also why prices for roses go up prior to Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day–it’s not “price gouging” as many people think…it’s really to try to slow down the demand so flower companies can fulfill as many orders as possible.

Personally, what I like to do is get flowers delivered to *me* a couple days in advance. I clean them, prepare the vase and the flower food, and arrange them myself, and then hand-deliver them myself on the holiday (see the link below, which provides some good advice). This way, I’m assured of having the best quality flowers, and I’m not competing with thousands of others trying to compete for the last wilting rose on Sunday itself.

If you order florist flowers, I’d recommend getting them delivered on a Friday. If you order flowers delivered by UPS or Fedex, I’d suggest getting them up to 7 days in advance–this is because those flowers often come in bud form, and are hardly presentable–you need to cut them and arrange them in warm water for them to open up.

Bottom line–in general, the earlier you order the flowers, the more likely you’ll get the highest quality ones, whether from a local florist or from a company that delivers flowers in a box.

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