SHOP TALK : Making Sure Mother’s Day Flowers Are Fresh : It pays to be fussy when sending a bouquet. Experts advise checking depth of color and whether buds are fully open.

It’s decision time. Is it going to be perfume, chocolate or flowers for Mother’s Day? Thanks to past Mother’s Days, Mom has enough perfume to last her well into the 21st Century, so strike that. As for chocolate, she loves it but lately has been concerned about her weight. You don’t want to contribute to her worries.

That leaves flowers. Which is exactly what you gave her last year and the year before that. She’ll be very happy with a nice bouquet. The only problem is you don’t know much about flowers--you don’t have a clue how to tell a fresh one from one that will die before Mom gets it in a vase.

Just so you don’t feel like a blooming idiot when you walk into the flower shop, here are a few tips from some local florists.

From the top of the flower to the bottom, they say, there can be plenty of signs that a flower is old, unhealthy or not the pick of the bunch. As much as anything, they say, the brightness of color is a dead giveaway.

“If the flower is at all dull or faded, that’s a sign that it’s not fresh. You want it to be clear and vibrant,” said Terry Hazen, a flower designer at the Camarillo Flower Shop.

“Most flowers should also have a tight look to them. They shouldn’t be too full-blown. You want them when the bud is just starting to open. If you see flowers that are completely open, it means the flowers have been left out for a while, have not be kept in a cooler, or are just old.”

Hazen said the exception to that rule would be bulb flowers, such as tulips, which open as soon as they are exposed to heat.

As you evaluate the overall appearance of the flower, make sure to check for wilting. You don’t want a mushy flower. Also look for foliage that has turned yellow or brown, or has become spotted--all signs that a flower is not doing well.

“You don’t want leaves to be crinkled, you want them well-formed,” Hazen said. “You want the foliage to have a full, shiny appearance.”

If you get an opportunity to handle the flower before you purchase it, you can further check out the condition of the petals and the stem of the flower.

“Take the flower and gently wiggle it a little bit,” said Debra Lunnen, manager of Conroy’s Flowers in Westlake. “If the petals fall off, you don’t want that flower.”

As for the stem, Lunnen says, if it is slimy when you take it out of its bucket, put it back and try another flower.

“If it feels like there’s a residue, if it feels slippery and has a pungent odor, if the bottom of the stem is brown or black, it hasn’t been handled properly,” she said. “If the stem has a bad odor, you know the florist has not been changing the water every day. It should be changed regularly with a disinfectant added to cut down on bacteria.”

Obviously, with a floral arrangement, you can’t start picking out the flowers and checking out the stems.

“If the flower looks fresh, if the leaves look fresh, if the flower has a nice odor,” she said, “then you know the flowers are fresh.”

Now that you’ve got an idea how to select a fresh flower, you can concentrate on finding the ideal flower or floral arrangement to fit Mom’s tastes. To figure that out, start by taking into consideration the decor of your mother’s home.

“What colors are in the home, what style furniture does the recipient have--is it a contemporary arrangement, a high-style arrangement, more free form?” Hazen asked. “Does the person love flowers? If so, then we would want to send a variety of flowers, not just the traditional mums and carnations, because they will love all different varieties.”

When Lunnen helps customers make a selection, she also tries to find out a little about the person giving the flower. “What is the personality of that person? What is that person’s favorite colors? What are some of the likes of the giver?” she said. “The giver’s personality needs to be expressed.”

One last tip: As with most good gifts, look for a return policy. Jeanette Rohal, owner of Simi Valley Florists, said many flower shops have 24-hour guarantees.

“If the roses don’t open, if you’re not happy with them,” she said, “we will replace them.”