American Anna Jarvis invented Mother's Day in 1907 as a way to remember her own mother and to give the country's household matriarchs a well-earned rest.

However, what started as a simple gesture has proved to be a lucrative sales occasion for everything from greeting cards to lingerie.

Flowers are the traditional gift, but where once it was a bunch of daffodils purchased with pocket money, today dads are splashing out on stunning bouquets. 'It used to be that the children bought a few daffodils but now it's the dads that are buying £75 bouquets,' says John Hardcastle, owner of Covent Garden Flower Market-based Bloomfield Wholesale Florist.

'Our customers, especially the London-based businesses, are finding that the demand is for bouquets that look a bit wild, with lots of spring flowers like hyacinths, anemones and ranunculus.

'Of course, everyone wants British flowers when they are available.'

Heather Gorringe, flower grower and owner of garden supplies business Wiggly Wigglers and The Great British Florist, echoes Hardcastle, saying that she too has noticed a trend away from manicured bouquets that look as though they came off a production line.

'People want something that looks more like it's been gathered up from a field,' she says. 'We have also seen items like ornamental cabbages, berries and lots of herbs. Although traditional bouquets are still popular, there are a lot of mothers who want something a little funkier.

'We grow our flowers outside, and at this time we don't have our own supply but we have been ordering from growers in Cornwall where they grow under glass and they have better weather. There is a real renaissance in British flowers – they are increasingly a popular choice.'

One of Gorringe's suppliers, Clowance Flowers, says with the high price of Dutch product at the moment and the limited availability, plus the desire for consumers to back British, business has been blooming.

Manager James Cock explains that the date of Mother's Day clashes with the Russian Ladies Day and that the European flower market is being bought up to supply both.

'We've been supplying a lot of pink and white tulips,' he adds. 'Also traditional flowers such as bluebells, daffodils and we're seeing a lot of foliage sales too as the product is such good value for money.

'Growers are benefiting from the campaigns to buy British and it's a very good time to be in the business.'

Recent figures from Waitrose showed that sales of British daffodils have increased by 50 per cent on last year and that 40 per cent of all the flowers sold by the supermarket are British-grown.

While supermarkets will no doubt be the first port of call for many customers looking to pick up a bunch of flowers, independent florists are also hoping the celebration will boost trade.

Founder of the Fresh Flower Company, Fran Bailey, says not only can florists compete with supermarkets, but can beat them on every level.'The most obvious advantages to our customers are service levels and the quality, freshness and diversity of the flowers,' she says. 'We get to know customers' specific preferences, we can choose the flowers with them, and then tailor make their bouquets to suit their individual requirements. As trained florists we can pass our flower and plant knowledge, care and conditioning but also seasonal availability and design ideas on to the customer. We have a large range of ready-made bouquets at various prices which are great for impulse buys. We guarantee the life of the flowers and offer loyalty schemes.'

Bailey explains that while they back British flowers, in order to offer diversity she buys flowers and foliage from a combination of different suppliers. 'We use the wholesale market in London, buy directly from Dutch importers and also from small, independent British growers. The wholesalers in the market offer an extensive range of flowers from all over the world but also British-grown flowers and foliage,' she says.

'Our customers like to support British growers for environmental reasons but also because the quality is so good and because the flowers are so fresh. I am currently researching British growers to supply locally grown flowers for summer weddings.'

With so much choice available, there are going to be many happy mothers this Sunday. —