7 On Your Side: Consumer reports has tips for buying flowers this Mother's Day

Friday, May 6, 2016

7 On Your Side: People spend more on flowers for Mother's Day than for Valentine's Day, close to $2.5 billion. Many flowers will be ordered online and Consumer Reports has some guidance before you click.

People spend more on flowers for Mother's Day than for Valentine's Day, close to $2.5 billion. Many flowers will be ordered online and Consumer Reports has some guidance before you click.

If you're planning to send a Mother's Day bouquet, you probably want it petal-perfect. Big holiday orders put a strain on florists, so Consumer reports ordered a variety of colored roses near another high-stress time for florists, Valentine's Day.

The long-stemmed roses were from popular online florists, ProFlowers, FTD, and 1800 Flowers. When the flowers arrived, they were assessed by Consumer Reports staffers. There were some

surprises.

Boxed roses from ProFlowers flopped out of their protective plastic collar, and all but five of the stems were broken. A Consumer Reports editor called Proflowers, without revealing her identity and received a fresh bouquet the next day.

Later, ProFlowers gave Consumer Reports a statement that said in part: "We believe the damage occurred somewhere in transit between the farms and your doorstep."

If you're not satisfied, all the sites Consumer Reports checked offer a refund or a replacement, so be sure to ask your mom if her flowers arrived in good shape.

And as you're ordering, take into account the cost of shipping.

"You won't see this charge until you're checking out. We paid between $13 and $19 per bouquet for shipping," said Consumer Reports money editor Mandy Walker.

Consumer reports found another surprise.

"We noticed that as we clicked around the three sites, the prices either began to drop or we were offered discount coupons. So taking your time can really pay off," Walker said.

And because delivery costs escalate as the holiday approaches, consider sending mom her flowers a few days early.

Consumer Reports advises that the best way to keep flowers fresh is to snip a half-inch from the bottom with a sharp scissors and get them into room-temperature water immediately. Use the flower food that's included and remove any leaves below water level.

Consumer Reports is published by Consumers Union. Both Consumer Reports and Consumers Union are not-for-profit organizations that accept no advertising. Neither has any commercial relationship with any advertiser or sponsor on this site.