10 lessons learned for big mothers day sales (SFFF50)
Mother’s Day is one of the highest-demand holidays in the flower farming world—and it can make or break your early season revenue. After years of managing the May madness, we now bring in consistent five-figure weekends, and I’m here to tell you: it’s not just luck. It's planning, systems, and a whole lot of lessons learned. If you’re looking to grow your Mother’s Day flower sales without burning out, these 10 strategies are for you.
1. Plan Early for Mother’s Day Flower Demand
Flower demand spikes like crazy during Mother’s Day weekend. It’s not the time to be scrambling for vases or running out of tissue paper. We order all our packaging well ahead of time and plan our planting calendar to support this specific weekend. Right now, in 2025, we’ve already placed orders for the flowers we’ll sell in May 2026. It sounds intense, but when you know what works, it gets easier every year.
Most new flower farmers underestimate just how early the prep begins. Ordering bulbs in January for a holiday in May of the following year feels wild, but that's the rhythm of this industry. Your future self will thank you when you're staring down a cooler packed with blooming ranunculus and tulips instead of wondering if you’ll even have product ready. Planning this far ahead isn’t just smart—it’s essential.
2. Use Pre-Orders to Increase Revenue and Reduce Waste
Offering pre-orders helps us forecast inventory and ease some of the chaos. We focus our pre-sale options on premium vase arrangements only—no bunches or mixed bouquets in the pre-order menu. That exclusivity helps boost value and allows our customers to skip the line at the market. It’s a win-win that brings in extra income without throwing off our workflow.
The key is keeping the pre-order menu simple and high-end. These aren’t just any flowers—they’re specialty designs in gorgeous vessels, and they aren’t available to walk-up customers. It creates a little urgency and makes those who order ahead feel like they’re getting something extra special. Plus, knowing exactly how many arrangements to make means fewer leftovers and tighter margins.
3. Simplify Your Flower Menu to Increase Sales
When we used to offer too many options, customers got overwhelmed. Now, we keep it simple: straight bunches for $25–$30, mixed bouquets for about $55, and premium vase arrangements for $75–$85. Those bunches? They’re stunning and generous—think big, bold tulips or ranunculus. And because the choices are clear, customers can buy faster (and often buy more). We often have folks spend hundreds just grabbing a bouquet for every mom in the family.
Limiting options also simplifies your back end. You can streamline production with clear recipes, prep flowers in bulk, and reduce bottlenecks during your busiest weekend. People love beautiful flowers, but they love an easy choice even more. Instead of trying to guess what combination will sell, curate a few knockout options and let your customers focus on giving, not deciding.
4. Raise Prices to Match the Holiday Rush
Mother’s Day isn’t just busy—it’s expensive to prepare for. Extra labor, premium supplies, fancier packaging… it all adds up. Don’t be afraid to price your bouquets accordingly. This isn’t about gouging—it’s about charging what your work is worth during one of the most demanding weekends of the year. Our premium spring flowers command premium prices, and our customers recognize the value.
A lot of farmers hesitate to raise prices, especially when they want to be accessible. But when you’re using hydro wraps, custom sleeves, and loading each bouquet with top-tier blooms, your margins deserve to reflect that. Customers shopping for Mother’s Day expect to spend more—don’t be afraid to meet that moment with confidence.
5. Build Efficient Systems to Avoid Burnout
Running around like a headless chicken used to be our Mother’s Day norm. Not anymore. We now prep everything based on a streamlined system: one recipe for pre-order arrangements, three clear products, and a whiteboard list of what needs to be made. We sleeve bunches ahead of time, use the same bouquet formula for all mixed bouquets, and batch all our work. The result? We’re tired, sure—but not wrecked.
Your systems don’t have to be fancy, but they do have to work. Assign roles to your team. Label buckets in advance. Create a schedule and stick to it. If you’re up until 2am trying to fulfill custom orders, it might be time to rethink what you offer. Efficiency isn’t just a luxury—it’s the only way to keep pace during a holiday like this without running yourself into the ground.
6. Focus on Walk-Up Sales, Not Deliveries
Deliveries can drain your time and energy fast. We used to offer them, but between traffic, tight routes, and pricing that never quite covered the cost, we’ve phased them out. Instead, we focus on making pickup easy and reliable. Our farm stand and market booth are ready for last-minute shoppers—and trust me, there are a lot of them.
Even with route planning software, deliveries tend to snowball into stress. Parking problems, missed handoffs, or the wrong address—it all costs time. And in a weekend that already demands everything you’ve got, we’d rather spend our energy serving the crowds who show up at our stand. They’re ready to spend, and they’re looking for a solution you can hand over in seconds.
Final Thoughts: Mother's Day is a Marathon—Prep Like It
The truth is, most customers will wait until the last minute to buy flowers. That’s why marketing matters. Talk about your offerings ahead of time, post reminders, and use your email list to stay top of mind. Then, deliver top-tier customer service—especially to first-time buyers. You never know which last-minute shopper will turn into a long-term CSA subscriber. And above all else: take care of yourself. Eat. Rest. Celebrate your wins. This is a busy season, but it doesn’t have to break you.
Behind every beautiful sale is a tired farmer who made it happen. So plan early, price fairly, simplify ruthlessly, and systemize everything. Then, take a breath and remember why you started growing flowers in the first place. f you’re ready for the full breakdown—from delivery apps to bouquet recipes to burnout prevention—listen to Episode 50 of the Six Figure Flower Farming Podcast. Let’s grow those Mother’s Day sales together.
