{"id":1443,"date":"2021-05-06T10:35:07","date_gmt":"2021-05-06T14:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montgomerymag.com\/?p=1443"},"modified":"2021-05-06T10:53:47","modified_gmt":"2021-05-06T14:53:47","slug":"how-carnations-became-the-official-flower-of-mothers-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montgomerymag.com\/how-carnations-became-the-official-flower-of-mothers-day\/","title":{"rendered":"How Carnations Became the Official Flower of Mother’s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Carnations
Image by Pezibear from Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The week surrounding Mother\u2019s Day is easily the busiest for Tracy Callahan, owner of Bethesda Florist. Business booms, he says, because so many people celebrate the holiday.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone has a mom,\u201d says Callahan.<\/p>\n

Mother\u2019s Day is the most popular time of year for floral shops all over the country \u2014 even beating Valentine\u2019s Day, believe it or not. And it\u2019s during May when florists like Callahan see an increase in orders and requests for carnations.<\/p>\n

With their fringed petals and clean smell, carnations may not seem all that remarkable. They\u2019re certainly not as flashy or eye-catching as a bright orchid or a colorful tulip. Yet for more than a century, they\u2019ve been the official flower of Mother\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

Moms and grandmothers alike can thank Philadelphia activist Anna Jarvis for the carnation tradition \u2014 and even the holiday itself. On May 10, 1908, Jarvis sent hundreds of white carnations, her late mother\u2019s favorite flower, to her hometown church in West Virginia for a celebration honoring all mothers. That same day, she hosted a similar event in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Over the next few years, as the number of Mother\u2019s Day celebrations across the county increased, so did the popularity of the white carnation, which came to symbolize a mother\u2019s love. (Thanks to Jarvis\u2019 campaigning, Mother\u2019s Day became a national holiday in 1914 under President Woodrow Wilson.)<\/p>\n

Decades later, another person living in the White House made carnations even more fashionable: Mamie Eisenhower. Callahan says the trendy first lady popularized what\u2019s called the \u201cpeppermint\u201d carnation \u2014 a flower with elegant red and white stripes.<\/p>\n

\u201cMamie Eisenhower kind of elevated the carnation from an ordinary flower to something special,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, the colors of the beautiful spring flower carry different meanings on Mother\u2019s Day: white carnations honor a mother who has died, while pink ones celebrate a mother who is living.<\/p>\n

Carnations may be customary, but another flower is starting to steal the Mother\u2019s Day spotlight: roses. 1-800-Flowers says that roses alone make up 35% of its Mother\u2019s Day orders. Callahan also says roses are popular in his shop as well as hydrangeas and lilies.<\/p>\n

Callahan believes that carnations are sometimes overlooked because they\u2019re simple and may seem cheap \u2014 or like filler flowers \u2014 compared to other options. However, it\u2019s all about arranging them well and taking good care of them.<\/p>\n

Carnations can easily last two weeks, Callahan says. In the store, he\u2019s even seen them stay alive for close to three weeks. The secret? Avoiding bacteria.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s more important than sunlight or any other factor, he explains. Once bacteria from the air land in your vase water, the flowers will struggle to survive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe single best thing you can do is change that water every single day,\u201d says Callahan.<\/p>\n

But no matter if you go the classic carnation route or opt for an exquisite bunch of roses, flowers will be a wonderful way to show appreciation for the moms in your life this May.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a gift that is so special because of the freshness of it, the beauty of it and the fragrance of it,\u201d Callahan says.<\/p>\n

This story first appeared on washingtonfamily.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The tradition of giving mom carnations is as old as the holiday itself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":1444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,61],"tags":[123,213],"yoast_head":"\nHow Carnations Became the Official Flower of Mother's Day - Montgomery Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The official flower of Mother's Day, carnations are more than just "filler flowers." 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