How to find the best deal on Mother's Day flowers

In 2008, $35.6 billion worth of floral items were purchased in the U.S., and I'm betting Mother's Day was one of the leading occasions. If you're thinking flowers as one of this year's Mothers' Day gift ideas, we have a few tips to pass along to help you get your money's worth.

Where can you get the best price?
I ran the numbers for a dozen long-stemmed red roses delivered to my Midwest home from three online flower vendors. The online version of FTD, which wouldn't divulge its "service fee" until I'd almost completed an order, charges $49.99 without a vase, with a service fee that goes up from $14.99 on the Thursday before to $17.99 on Friday and $29.99 on Saturday. These flowers are delivered by UPS or FedEx.