Do you know where your floral arrangement has come from?

Even the savviest purchasers might be surprised, especially if they鈥檙e ordering online.

Some online floral sites are adept at mimicking local florists, meaning you might think you鈥檙e calling a shop across town, when in fact you鈥檙e re-directed to a far-off call centre.

And because that call centre takes a percentage of the cost of the arrangement, the florist who鈥檚 preparing your flowers can actually receive an order valued at much less than you paid, meaning what you paid for is not what you get, explains Tracy Bell, owner of 性视界传媒鈥檚 .

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e sending flowers to your mom, partner or anyone special, it鈥檚 really important to contact the florist directly,鈥� Bell says. 鈥淎sk for their address 鈥� if they have a brick-and-mortar shop, they鈥檒l be able to provide one.鈥�

Other sites will ship days-old cold-stored flowers in a flat pack 鈥� not the professionally designed floral arrangement you might believe you鈥檝e purchased.

With , the message is especially important. Unlike Valentine鈥檚 Day, when we typically give flowers in person, on Mother鈥檚 Day we鈥檙e often sending arrangements across the city, country or even around the world 鈥� an opportunity online marketers are savvy to.

Local supports local

That awareness underscores the importance of buying local, a core principle of La Belle Fleur since the award-winning shop opened in 1997.

鈥淲e know where all our flowers come from, and most are locally grown right here in the Lower Mainland,鈥� Bell says.

Not only does that make for fresher, longer-lasting blooms, but you鈥檙e also supporting local farmers, growers and related businesses, meaning your environmental footprint is also significantly reduced!

Bell and her team take that principle even further by complementing their floral selection with a wide variety of local artisan pieces, from hand-made cards to stunning jewellery.

鈥淲e have a really great, local network of small businesses, artists and artisans who support each other,鈥� Bell says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really proud of that 鈥� of being local and supporting local.鈥�

Fabulous ideas in store: If you鈥檙e planning a custom arrangement in time for Mother鈥檚 Day, allow time to place and fill the order, suggests Bell, who will bring in lots of fresh flowers throughout week to meet demand. The talented team will also have a variety of beautiful arrangements ready to go.

鈥淲e鈥檙e chock-full of interesting planters, especially succulent planters, which are really long-lasting and on-trend. They鈥檙e also a little different and the price point is lower, so you can give to all the special 鈥榤oms鈥� in your life!鈥�

Stop by La Belle Fleur Floral Boutique in . Visit on or online at , or connect via Twitter and Instagram at @labellefleur97.