What Flowers to Give Your Mother or Grandmother

For a mother or grandmother, the best choice is usually familiar, long-lasting flowers in her favourite colours: chrysanthemums, alstroemeria, carnations or roses, tied into a small, light bouquet without a heavy scent. If you would like the gift to last for months rather than a week, choose a potted orchid: it flowers for a long time and is not difficult to look after. More detail follows.

Just because, or for her birthday

Flowers for your mother do not need a special date. A bouquet brought on a Sunday visit or on the way home from work shows that you think of her on ordinary days too. When there is no occasion, a modest bouquet or a potted plant is just right.

For her birthday, the bouquet can be larger and more festive, with a card. A round birthday such as a 70th or 80th is a jubilee in Lithuania and calls for a bigger, more formal bouquet.

What older people tend to appreciate

Everyone is different, but a few things come up often:

• Familiar flowers. Roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, tulips in spring. Quite a few older people in Lithuania grew flowers in their own front garden or allotment, so they recognise them and know how to look after them.
• Flowers that last. A bouquet that still looks good after two weeks gives more pleasure than an impressive one that fades in a few days.
• Little fuss. The less cutting, carrying and rearranging needed, the better.
• Attention. Her favourite colour, or a flower she once grew herself, says more than the size of the bouquet.

In a small bouquet where the stems are easy to count, keep to an odd number. In Lithuania, even numbers are associated with mourning, and older people usually know and respect this custom.

Long-lasting flowers

Chrysanthemums

One of the longest-lasting cut flowers: with good care they often keep for two or three weeks. They come with single large heads or as spray varieties, in many colours. Some people in Lithuania associate chrysanthemums with Vėlinės, All Souls' Day on 2 November, but mixed with other flowers in warm colours they look cosy and autumnal. If your grandmother dislikes them for that reason, choose something else.

Alstroemeria

Each stem carries several flowers, and the buds open gradually, so the bouquet keeps looking fresh for a long time. Alstroemeria often lasts more than a week, has almost no scent and comes in many colours.

Carnations

Sturdy and very long-lasting: well cared for, they often keep for two weeks. Modern carnations come in many shades, from white and cream to burgundy, and their scent is usually mild.

Roses

The classic. In a vase, roses usually look good for about a week, longer with care. Spray roses have several smaller flowers on one stem, which makes a bouquet look fuller.

A potted orchid: a gift that stays

If your mother or grandmother likes houseplants, a phalaenopsis orchid is one of the most practical gifts. Its flowers often last several weeks, sometimes a few months. There is no vase water to change, and the care is simple:

• a bright windowsill without direct midday sun, ideally facing east or west;
• water by soaking the pot for 10–15 minutes when the roots turn silvery grey, which in a flat is usually every 7–10 days;
• let the water drain fully so none is left standing in the outer pot;
• keep it away from a hot radiator.

If orchids already flower on her windowsill, she knows how to keep them. If this is her first, explain the watering or write it on the card.

A flower box also needs no vase: the flowers sit in damp floral foam that only needs a little water now and then.

Scent

In a small room, strongly scented flowers can be tiring, especially for someone sensitive to smells.

• Lilies have a very strong scent, and their pollen stains tablecloths and clothes.
• Lilies are toxic to cats, so if she keeps a cat, it is better to leave them out.
• In spring, hyacinths are also very strongly scented.
• Chrysanthemums, alstroemeria, carnations and most roses sold today have a light scent or almost none.

A practical size

The biggest bouquet is not always the best. Think about:

• Whether she will carry it herself. If you meet in town or at a café and she goes home by bus afterwards, the bouquet should be light and compact.
• Whether it will fit her vase. If she has a medium vase or a jug, choose a round bouquet of medium height. A very tall bouquet needs a tall, heavy vase.
• Where it will stand. A kitchen table, windowsill or chest of drawers often has little room for a large bouquet.

If she may not have a vase

Not every home has a suitable vase, especially for a larger bouquet. If you are unsure, give a simple glass or ceramic vase of the right height with the flowers: stable, but light enough to carry to the sink. Or choose an orchid or a flower box, which need no vase.

Care tips to pass on

Simple tips to mention when you hand over the flowers, or to write on the back of the card:

• before putting the flowers in water, cut 1–2 cm off the stems at an angle with a sharp knife;
• remove any leaves that would sit under water;
• change the water every day or at least every other day, rinsing the vase;
• if a sachet of flower food came with the bouquet, dissolve it in the water;
• keep the vase away from radiators, strong sun and the fruit bowl.

If cutting stems or carrying a vase is hard for your grandmother, do it for her when you visit.

A few words on the card

For a mother or grandmother, a few handwritten words often mean more than the flowers themselves. Two or three sentences are enough: thanks for something specific, a wish and your name. For a grandmother, write clearly and in larger letters.

Flowers for your mother or grandmother in Kaunas

Gitanos gėlės is inside the Šilas store at A. Baranausko g. 26 in Kaunas and is open daily 8:00–23:00. Besides bouquets, you will find potted plants there, including orchids. Bouquets start from 15 €, potted plants from 8 €, flower boxes from 35 €. You can pre-order a bouquet by SMS at +370 656 38880 or on gitanosgeles.lt and pick it up on your way to visit her.