4 flower delivery apps for Mother's Day

As it does every year, Mother's Day has snuck up on us and is suddenly this weekend. Whether you send a card or give a more substantial gift, you can never go wrong supplementing it with flowers. The days leading up to the holiday are among the busiest of the year for florists, which means they will be hectic for you as well if you plan to purchase flowers. If you don't already have a go-to florist, there are several iOS flower-ordering apps that could save you a headache this week:

Mobile Florist

Mobile Florist uses the Florists' Transworld Delivery (FTD) network for same day delivery in most cases if you order before 1 PM in the recipient's time zone. They are able to do this by connecting with a network of over 15,000 local FTD florists, so your flowers don't have to be shipped in a box and stored in who knows what kind of conditions. Flowers delivered through their service are hand arranged and delivered in a vase to ensure freshness. In addition to flowers, Mobile Florist can send a variety of other gifts and food baskets. As another plus, if you don't know much about what flowers are appropriate for the occasion, you can search arrangements by holiday/event.

1-800-Flowers

1-800-Flowers has been delivering flowers for over 30 years, and is very reputable as a result. Like Mobile Florist, they offer same day delivery of flowers, plants and other gifts. The "other gifts" come from its own family of quality brands that includes Cheryl's Cookies, Fruitbouquets.com, 1800Baskets.com, The Popcorn Factory, Fannie May Confections & Harry London Gourmet Chocolates, Harry and David, and Wolferman's. As a bonus, app users will receive exclusive offers from time to time.

ProFlowers

ProFlowers is a bit different than the previous two in that they don't deliver floral arrangements or gifts. They deliver potted flowers or plants, or bouquets of flowers directly from the grower's field to the recipient, along with a personalized note and directions on care for the plant. Delivery is "as quickly as next day." From the app you can order your flowers and write a personalized message that will be included in a card. Enter the recipient's address and your billing info and hit "Send." The app also allows you to set reminders for upcoming events.

California Blooms

California Blooms specializes in "boutique-grown" roses that can be delivered anywhere in the U.S. within 24 hours of the roses being cut. Using their app, orders can be completed in under three minutes, and there is an automatic 20% discount applied to your first order. They also note that their growing methods are eco-friendly - they use a variety of technologies to reduce their energy consumption by 30% and they recycle their water back into their greenhouses or into nearby farm fields.