SARAH Mulholland has never been busier.
As if welcoming baby boy Henry into the world just two weeks ago wasn't enough to keep Mrs Mulholland on her toes, the new mum has also been flat chat at The Little Tin Shed Medowie.
It's the Harris family farm's "busiest time", according to Mrs Mulholland.
In the weeks leading up to Mother's Day, she said her family had been busy picking thousands of flowers for markets, resellers and florists across Newcastle and the Hunter.
"It's our busiest time on the farm," she said.
"We're currently picking for wholesale, local florists and we also have a roadside stall which is where we sell most of our flowers from."
Mrs Mulholland said flowers were a meaningful way to give back to your mum.
"It's a small thank you for everything your mum does for you - I guess becoming a mum myself - you don't realise, how much your mum does do for you, especially in the early days," she said.
"And then also now my mum is so important in my life and my kids' life, so giving I think, is the best gift and it can show so much love towards your mum."
To keep up with the demand this season the Harris farm planted in January and have carried their first cut off during May.
"There's lots of maintenance with weeding, fertilising and spraying because we grow in the open paddock and not in the glasshouse," she said.
Mrs Mulholland said pinks and whites were the most popular around Mother's Day.
"You can never pick what's everyone's favourite," she said.
Flowers were among the top gifts Australians planned to purchase this Mother's Day, a new survey has found.
The survey by the Australian Retailers Association and Roy Morgan projects Australians will spend $925 million on mums this year, up $166 million or 22 per cent on 2022.
The survey of 1682 Australian adults found one in two people were planning on buying gifts for Mother's Day and expected to spend an average of $92.
Five in six respondents said they would spend more than last year while alcohol, food and flowers were the most popular choices for gifts and likely to account for about 30 per cent of the national spend.
One in four respondents planned to buy gifts for someone other than their birth mother.
ARA chief executive Paul Zahra said Mother's Day was a key event on the retail calendar.
"Amid ongoing cost of living pressures, many will be making an exception to spoil their mums," Mr Zahra said. "While people may be reluctant to spoil themselves ... they're still enthusiastic to splash out on loved ones."
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