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CNN Live At Daybreak

Interview with Susie Coelho, Floral Expert

Aired May 09, 2002 - 07:47   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, so you still don't have a gift for mom this weekend? Hello? Mother's Day is Sunday, remember? If you are still searching, you're not alone probably. But buyer beware, time is running is out people. If you eventually decide to go the floral route, and many of you will, we did an informal survey of some of the leading retailers, and most said their deadline for weekend delivery is midday today. Uh-oh.

For advice on choosing arrangements, Susie Coelho, the author of "Susie Coelho's Everyday Styling" joins us from New York City's flower district -- thanks for being with us this morning, Susie.

SUSIE COELHO, AUTHOR, "SUSIE COELHO'S EVERYDAY STYLING": Oh, thanks for having me.

COOPER: So let's start off talking about roses. You know, probably the most popular thing a lot of people are going to send, and I think more roses are sold on Mother's Day or second only to Valentine's Day. We did a little an informal survey. We are going to put some prices up, and I just want to talk to you about roses.

First, I just want to read out the prices. For a dozen long stem roses and a bouquet with a vase, $64.99 at FTD.com, $99.99 at 1-800- flowers, $39 at Proflower.com, $49.99 at Flower.com and about $75 to $80 at the average retail florist. Why is there such price fluctuation with these roses?

COELHO: Well, you know, it really depends on where you are buying your roses. Of course, you can buy them on the street corner, and you might get them home, and you know how the heads just kind of wilt down? Sometimes you end up with roses that really don't go anywhere. Roses come from all around the world, and it just depends on the size, the shape and of course, where they are coming from.

So there is definitely a variety in terms of price. If you buy at a wholesale store, for instance, where we are here today, it's going to be obviously less expensive. And if you buy at a retail store, it's going to be more expensive. So it really depends on where you're going to be purchasing.

COOPER: Now, my understanding is that florists jack up the prices on average about 20 percent on a holiday like Mother's Day. What are some things that, you know, the average person can do to save some money here? COELHO: Well, you know, I think that it's really nice to come to a floral shop, you know, such as this one. We are down in the district here at the New York Flowers Wholesale. And as you can see in this particular store, they have pulled together a palette of colors, a variety of shapes and sizes and textures.

And I think that if I'm going to give tips for somebody who is going to be purchasing flowers, if they go to a flower store to find something like, look, we have these beautiful peonies that are in season right now. Mothers love peonies. They are just a beautiful, delicate flower, and picking our color palettes such as they have here, just the rose with the pinks.

We have got freesia. We've got hydrangeas, which are incredible. Look at these red hydrangeas. If you're going to bring something wonderful to your mom, this would be an incredible treat, the pink, the red. We've got lavender. We've got delphiniums.

I have put together a grouping of flowers over here just, again, to show you how color palettes make a big difference. Here we've got sort of the green tones, and if you're going to go out and look for flowers yourself, you might want to choose a color palette, something that your mom would love or something that you think is really special.

And the stylish way to pull it together is either to group it into a single species, like just the hydrangeas or just roses, or to pull it together in a color palette. Here we have protea that are actually dried. We have carnations which are a typical flower that can be found almost anywhere across the country, but a lot of times people don't use them, because they think they are common. But look how beautiful the carnation is pulled in with these bells and other proteas.

COOPER: So you are suggesting that if you're going to do it yourself, kind of stock to one color and kind of keep it simple, maybe one kind of flower.

COELHO: I think that's the key. I mean, if you can look here and you can see in this particular store, they have pulled together the color palettes so beautifully for you. But if you don't' have the chance to have it pulled together in such a beautiful fashion, if you go in or if you call up and you're ordering at a florist and you call up, ask them to pull together the color palette for you, so it's very simple.

COOPER: All right.

COELHO: You have the parrot tulips, you have roses, again you have protea.

COOPER: Now, Susie, you know, a lot of people obviously don't live in the same town that their mom does.

COELHO: Yes.

COOPER: What's the best way to find a florist?

COELHO: Well, I think there's a lot of different, you know, Web sites available. You mentioned some of them. There is one called www.findflowers.com, which this lady has actually researched flower shops across the country and picked very special flower shops. So if you find a florist that you really love and that you feel confident with their tastes and the color palettes and the things they pull together, that's really the best way to go.

COOPER: Over the phone, would you recommend trying to interview the florist, the local florist?

COELHO: Definitely, but you know, I think the common problem that people face is that they are just not familiar with all of the names of flowers, and you really don't have to be. So if you take the simple tips of when you call up, ask them for something that's in season, that's according to the color palette you are looking for. Maybe your mom just loves yellow, and so you want yellow tulips, which are still actually in season.

So you really do need to interview them, talk to them, and if you're creative in any way, maybe you can just sort of over the phone try to design. But if you're not wanted to go that far, just go for a single species.

COOPER: OK. Time is short, only a couple of more days. What do you think is best, the Internet or doing this over the phone?

COELHO: Well, I think that if you feel confident, certainly over the phone, because then you'll get exactly what you want. If you don't feel confident, you don't have the time and you want to pull together something in an easy fashion, then go to the Internet, some of the sites that we mentioned, and that would be a great way to pull together something wonderful for you mom, and I'm sure that anything you pick, she will love.

COOPER: All right. Susie Coelho, thanks very much.

COELHO: You are very welcome.

COOPER: All right.

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