Which UK cities are the likeliest to forget Mother's Day flowers?

With Mother's Day fast approaching, new data from online florist Arena Flowers reveals which UK locations are most likely to leave ordering Mother's Day bouquets to the last minute – and which towns are best at planning ahead for Mother's Day.

Arena Flowers looked at the number of next-day delivery bouquets being ordered the day before Mother's Day in 2023 and 2024 to reveal the towns and cities in the UK most likely to leave it late in the day to arrange their Mother's Day gifts. Their analysis of two years' worth of order data found that Winchester, Bristol and Cambridge top the list as the most forgetful locations for Mother's Day.

What UK towns and cities leave Mother's Day purchases to the last minute?
The top ten locations that leave Mother's Day flower ordering to the last minute are mostly based in the south of the country – with the only northern location on the naughty list being York.

In order, here are the top ten unpunctual locations: Winchester, Bristol, Cambridge, Reading, Oxford, Brighton & Hove, Woking, York, St. Albans, and Guildford.

Meanwhile, the towns that plan ahead and order their Mother's Day flowers up to two weeks in advance include Esher, Beaconsfield, and Gerrards Cross.

Where in the UK do people order Mother's Day flowers early?
In order, the towns that order their Mother's Day flowers early are: Esher, Woodbridgel, Stroud, Beaconsfield, Gerrards Cross, Wallingford, Godalming, Dorking, Leatherhead, and Richmond.

Nick Schulman, Chief Commercial Officer at Arena Flowers remarks: "Every year we see a surge in last-minute Mother's Day next-day delivery orders, as with every big gifting occasion. With Mother's Day quite late this year on the 30th of March, we thought it'd be interesting to see if there were any location trends for last-minute gifters. Using two years of data it was fascinating to see Winchester topping the list, as well as Oxford and Cambridge. On the other hand, kudos to Esher for coming out as the most prepared town for sending Mother's Day flowers – we hope to see the same from them this year! Luckily, we're always ready to help make moments special for all our customers whenever they order, and we're looking forward to another busy Mother's Day period this year."

The origins of Mother's Day
This year, Mother's Day falls on the 30th March, and it's a tradition that has its origins in the 16th-century custom of 'Mothering Sunday', which fell on the fourth Sunday of Lent. The tradition was that you paid your 'mother church' a visit – either the church where you were christened, your parish church, or the nearest cathedral – and you were said to be 'going a-mothering' when you did so. Because this occasion was a rare opportunity for a family get-together, the focus of the day gradually shifted to visiting not just the mother church, but one's own mother. On the way to the church, people gathered wildflowers to leave in the church and to present to their mothers, which is why flowers are so strongly tied into Mother's Day gifting.

By the 1920s, Mother's Day in America had come to be associated with a particular flower, the carnation – while in the UK we celebrate with a range of spring time flowers, including tulips, stocks, hyacinths, spray roses and ranunculus.

Whilst online florists can deliver next-day, the cut-off points are usually 12pm or early afternoon, so it's best to book in your Mother's Day delivery ahead of time and sit back and relax safe in the knowledge that your flowers are sorted.