The carnations have become such a familiar part of mother's day observance that they are said to be an emblem of mother love. But why and how these flowers came to associate themselves with the mother's day?

The perpetual flowering carnation, perhaps derived from crosses between the border carnations and the china pink, produces larger flowers. The flowers of this variety blooms almost continuously in the greenhouse.

Carnations are among the most popular cut flowers, used in floral arrangements, corsages, and boutonnieres. In Europe, the carnation was formerly used as a treatment for fevers. It was also used to spice wine and ale during Elizabethan times, as a substitute for the more expensive clove.

In 1907, Miss Anna Jarvis selected the pink carnations as the symbol for Mother's Day. So, like the day itself it was miss Jarvis who made it a part of Mother's Day. She introduced and supplied these white carnations at the first service conducted in Grafton, West Virginia. They were chosen because of her mother's fondness for them.