We are officially two weeks out from Mother’s Day. Ordering through PFG opens on Tuesday at 7PM. In the meantime, there’s plenty you can do to set yourself up for success. A little preparation now can make the difference between a focused, productive week and one that feels chaotic. Here are a few ways to smooth out the stress:
Start with the Cooler
If there’s one place to focus your energy, it’s here. Take the time to fully empty your cooler and give it a proper reset. That means not just clearing out old product, but actually cleaning surfaces, buckets, and shelves. Built-up bacteria and ethylene can shorten vase life—especially for sensitive spring flowers that tend to dominate Mother’s Day designs.
Prep Your Vessels in Advance
Anything you can do ahead of time, you’ll be grateful for later. Start pulling vases now and setting them up with mechanics—tape grids, frogs, chicken wire, whatever your design style calls for. Having those ready to go means that once flowers arrive, you can move straight into designing instead of scrambling to prep containers.
Check Your Supplies (Before It’s Urgent)
Now is the time to take inventory. Do you have these on hand:
- Enough vases and the right sizes
- Floral tape, wire, and other mechanics
- Clean buckets and processing supplies
- Packaging materials, sleeves, and boxes
- Cards, ribbons, and any branded elements
Running out mid-week is stressful and often expensive to fix quickly. A quick audit now can prevent that.
Sketch Out a Few Go-To Recipes
You don’t need to know every stem you’ll have yet to start planning. Just think in terms of structure:
- A soft, garden-style pastel arrangement (usually the most popular)
- A brighter, more saturated color story
- A neutral/green-and-white option
Write out a few flexible “recipes” that can adapt based on what comes in so you know how to order efficiently when the PFG shop does open. For example, you might estimate that every vase you’ll be crafting will need 5 stems of foliage. If you have 50 pre-sold orders, put 25 bunches of foliage on your shopping list. Do the same calculations for focal flowers, fillers and the accents so you’ve got a solid idea of quantities and keep yourself within budget.
In this recipe planning moment, it’s less about locking things in and more about removing decision fatigue later.
Set Expectations with Your Customers
If you haven’t already, this is a good moment to communicate. Let customers know what to expect in terms of style, seasonality, and substitutions. Mother’s Day is not the time to promise exact stems—it’s the time to highlight the beauty of what’s in season and locally available. Clear expectations now lead to smoother interactions later. Make sure your online ordering process is clear and your order confirmation steps are easy to execute.
Mother’s Day will move quickly once it starts. The more you can shift into a prepared, ready-to-design position now, the more space you’ll have to actually enjoy the work when the flowers arrive.
We’re here to support you! Shop here and never hesitate to email us with questions or inquiries info@philadelphiafloralguild.com.