One holiday drives a quarter of all flower sales
What began as a daughter's tribute with 500 white carnations has evolved into a global logistics feat, moving millions of blooms from equatorial farms to suburban doorsteps.
In May 1908, Anna Jarvis traveled to her hometown of Grafton, West Virginia, to memorialize her late mother with a gift of 500 white carnations. She chose the flower because it symbolized purity and the enduring strength of maternal love. Following official federal recognition of the holiday in 1914, this sentimental gesture transformed into a massive commercial engine. Today, Mother's Day accounts for roughly 25 percent of all annual floral spending in the United States, with consumers pouring over 2.6 billion dollars into bouquets that range from traditional roses to vibrant chrysanthemums.