New Yorkers celebrated Mother’s Day with flowers, family traditions and heartfelt appreciation for the mothers in their lives.

“My mom, you know, she’s one of the best,” Terri McLeod said.

While many people express their love for their mothers year-round, Mother’s Day offers a chance to recognize them in a special way.

What You Need To Know

  • According to the National Retail Federation, flower sales nationwide were expected to exceed $3.2 billion this Mother’s Day

  • Starbright Floral Design in the flower district has prepared bouquets for 33 Mother’s Days in a row

  • Starbright Floral Design’s owner Nic Faitos says the star flower this year is the peony

“I mean they’re always there for you, they’re always there for you no matter what, so that makes them special,” McLeod said.

According to the National Retail Federation, nationwide flower sales were expected to exceed $3.2 billion this Mother’s Day.

“I mean my mom, my aunt, my mother-in-law, all really love them, and they’re just a really nice token of appreciation for them,” Brendan McLellan said after purchasing flowers for the holiday.

At Starbright Floral Design in Manhattan’s Flower District, owner Nic Faitos said preparations for Mother’s Day began weeks ago. The business purchased more than 40,000 flower stems ahead of the holiday weekend.

“Lots of color, everyone wants color this year,” Faitos said. “They want to see things they have not seen before, and the star of the show this year is the peony.”

Faitos said another growing trend this year is companies hiring florists to create flower bars for Mother’s Day events.

“Companies are bringing in flowers and letting their employees make their own arrangements to take home for their moms, for themselves,” Faitos said.

For some, Mother’s Day can also be a difficult reminder of loss. Valerie Cutinello said her mother died last June.

“You think about the happy times you spent with your mom. We went to flea markets, we would go down the shore and walk on the beach,” Cutinello said.

She also offered advice to other mothers celebrating the holiday.

“Spend time with them, because I have a 26-year-old and a 28-year-old. They grow up fast. Years go by, so when you’re enjoying them when they’re little, value that time,” she said.