May 7, 2009 7:57 pm US/Eastern
Consumer: Picking The Right Mother's Day Flowers
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Mother's Day is the biggest flower holiday of the year, and that can be a budget buster. So can you really buy good cheap flowers?
They're bruised, have brown edges or are nearly open past their prime. It's the bad Mother's Day bouquet and if you're not a savvy shopper, you could easily ruin your Mom's favorite day when you buy it.
"I'd say about 75 percent of the flowers are good, 25 percent are bad," says landscape designer Carmen DeVito.
DeVito saw bad buds everywhere when we took her shopping at grocery stores and delis with our undercover cameras, and she says if you're not careful, that $25 bouquet will end up being a bust.
"They are wilting, they are dry and they are not refrigerated," she says. "On a white flower, the dirt from the street is very obvious."
At Chelsea's Ariston florist, owner Thomas Barbagianis says he throws out 15 percent of the flowers he gets since they don't meet his standards. His flowers cost more, but he keeps the shop cold to make them last longer and conditions every bloom with a big fresh cut to let it drink lots of water.
And Ariston's rejects? They end up on the streets being sold for quick buck.
Another insider tip: buy a mixed bouquet. By that we mean some open blooms to enjoy now, and some closed so you'll get many more days from it.
And if you're shopping weekend, avoid these floral blunders: brown edges, dried out stems, anything displayed in the sunlight, and stems with limp leaves.
And what are the signs of a long lasting bouquet?
"I like to see chrysanthemums in netting so that they were protected and not really bruised up," says DeVito.
Make sure stems are soaking wet, with a fresh cut. Mix up open blooms with closed buds, and make sure the leaves are firm. And once you get that bouquet home, strip off the leaves. Inside the vase they'll start to degrade and shorten the life of the arrangement.
So the best advice if you need a quick centerpiece: deli or grocery flowers will do. But if you're giving a gift, like to your mom on Sunday, go to a florist as the flowers will last longer and many florists will also exchange the bouquet if they don't last.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
2009 Celebrity Deaths, July-Dec.
Click to enlarge
Paterson: NYS Will Be Broke Before Christmas 43 mins ago 
Hempstead Asst Police Chief Alleges Discrimination 46 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments