Celebrate Mom This Mother's Day

Ever since Woodrow Wilson's official proclamation of Mother's Day in 1914, nervous husbands and eager children have struggled to find the perfect gift for Mom.

One of the most traditional and appreciated ways to celebrate Mom is to shower her with gorgeous flowers. And according to a recent survey, some of Mom's favorite plants include gardenias, hydrangeas, and miniroses. Topping the list of favorite blooms are lilies, gerbera daisies and roses.

When buying a beautiful bouquet for mom, show off your smarts and give her these handy tips from the floral and gift giving experts at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM:

• Arrange the flowers in a deep vase filled with cool water, and then mix in the floral preservative provided by the florist

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• Remove all leaves from the stem that fall below the waterline in the vase, as they will promote bacterial growth.

• Use a knife or shears to cut an inch from the bottom of the stem on an angle while holding it under water. This allows the stem to draw in the water, instead of air.

• Keep cut flowers and arrangements looking fresh by adding cool water to the vase every day and keeping it in a cool spot. Always keep the vase full, and change the water every three to four days.

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Mother's Day is a great opportunity for the kids to get creative, too. All moms appreciate a personalized gift, and they will love this pseudo flower arrangement: a bouquet of handprints made with lots of love. Here's how it's done from Celebrations.com, a Web site that offers expert advice and fun, simple planning tools for your next party:

• You will need colorful paper, scissors, pens or colored pencils, green craft paint (optional), small vase, craft glue, floral foam, and for the stems use either small dowels, wooden skewers or straws.

• Trace and cut out each child's handprints using different colors of paper. Make as many as you want. Ask kids to write one thing he or she loves about Mom on each handprint. Paint dowels or skewers with green paint, if desired. Glue handprints to the front of stems. Put florist foam in the vase and insert flowers. Place decorative grass or candies around the base of the flowers to cover the florist foam.

Go to Celebrations.com for more inspiration for life's most important celebrations, and visit 1-800-FLOWERS.COM for a beautiful selection of gifts including the Mother's Embrace arrangement.

Lilies, gerbera daisies and roses are among American mothers' favorite blooms.

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