COCHRANE— Providing tips and tricks for crafting the perfect Mother's Day bouquet, Nectare and Root has been hard at work preparing for one of the busiest days of the year.
Nectare and Root owner Melanie Tegart first launched the flower studio in February 2020. The flower shop has taken root in the community, and at the end of April she launched a new retail space just in time for Mother's Day.
“I was outgrowing the studio and looking for a new space,” Tegart said. “This is really nice. People can come in and see what’s in each week.”
Tegart has 10-years' experience working as a florist and enjoys her new retail shop because the space is better able to welcome customers to come in for a visit.
When shopping for the perfect gift for mom, Tegart said, she recommends focussing on her favourite things and pre-ordering treats and flowers when possible.
“Does she like woodsy, is she a little more refined, what is her style?” Tegart said.
It is also important to keep a budget in mind when planning a bouquet for mom, she said, explaining knowing your price threshold is just as important as knowing the details you are looking for in a bouquet.
“Having a little bit of the black and white to go with the more artistic side of it helps us balance out what it is you’re looking for,” Tegart said.
Before each Mother’s Day, Tegart puts her feelers out to see what the year will look like. This involves gauging the demand for flowers, popular colour trends, gift baskets and other gifts.
While the majority of her sales remain flowers, she recently introduced a larger retail selection including soaps and candles.
Tegart begins ordering for the big day weeks in advance and it can be a bit of a gamble planning for the trends.
The trends for Mother’s Day change each year and 2021 is proving to be the year of a more natural look for bouquets.
The flower bouquet designs are less structured and embrace a looser, more natural light-hearted style.
“If you remember back when you were a kid and you would pick some flowers from your mom’s garden and put them in a jar— It’s [a natural style] like that but a little more refined,” Tegart said. “It’s not as structured and perfect, it’s something that has a little bit of light-heartedness to it.”
Tegart added staples like ranunculus and peonies flowers remain a classic Mother’s Day gift.
COVID-19 has changed Mother’s Day and at the flower shop last year she saw an increased demand for bouquets.
It was an unanticipated increase in requests, she said, but 2021 has given florists more time to prepare.
Tegart said the number of orders she receives has grown during the pandemic, largely because when people are thinking of someone, they now send flowers or gifts instead of stopping in for a visit to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or wish someone well.
As orders have increased there has been a marked rise in online orders. Traditionally people would come into order bouquets, but now online and in-person orders are “neck and neck.”
It is challenging to predict how busy Mother’s Day has been given all the changes the pandemic created through its associated public health measures.
“Every Mother’s Day in every shop is always a little bit different, you throw a pandemic year in there and you kind of just ride it like a water slide,” Tegart said with a laugh.
