Janet Mohr, 51, says she "kind of fell" into her job after taking a flower-arranging class. She says flower shops provide the advantage of personalized service: "You're not just an online order to us."

Jim Davis / Arizona Daily Star

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Creating a flower arrangement usually puts Janet Mohr in a good mood.

"There's just something happy and comforting about flowers," said Mohr, who designs bouquets and sells flowers at Inglis Florists, 3840 W. Ina Road.

Mohr just "kind of fell" into her trade a few years back after taking a community class to learn how to make flower arrangements for her daughter's wedding, she said.

The class was taught at an Inglis flower shop, and one thing led to another, she said.

"My kids were grown, and I figured it was time to get back to work."

Mohr, 51, has worked at Inglis for three years. And although she didn't provide the flowers for her daughter's wedding after all, Mohr said she since has produced many arrangements for weddings of nephews, nieces and friends.

Standing between two counters at the flower shop recently, Mohr quickly shaped loose red roses and foliage into arrangements for display.

"The foliage gives it height and fullness, and the accent flowers showcase the roses," she said while adding lemon leaves and baby's breath to a tall glass vase filled with water and a preservative to help the roses last longer.

Mohr placed the flowers in a special display room where the temperature is kept at 38 degrees. The controlled environment ensures long-lasting freshness, she said.

After the flowers are sold, "we'll replace them if they die within the next day," Mohr promised.

Keeping flowers alive at room temperature is a bit more difficult. At home or at the office, high-quality flowers can last more than a week if certain steps are taken, Mohr said.

"Roses are thirsty; you have to check them every day," she said.

All flowers will stay fresh longer if the stems are cut, preferably under water, when the ends start turning brown, Mohr said. She also recommends changing the water when it starts look cloudy, and using the packet of flower food that usually comes with bouquets.

That's the kind of advice Mohr gives customers looking for the right flower to use on the right occasion. Working with people is a perk of the job, she said.

As a florist, Mohr said, she likes offering personalized service to someone who chooses to buy from a flower shop rather than at a grocery store or even the Internet.

"More and more, they've taken people out of the equation," she said. "A florist puts the people back in. You're not just an online order to us."

In addition to weddings, she has helped customers tailor their flower arrangements for baby showers, birthdays, funerals and high school proms.

Some of her customers leave a mark. She still remembers the young man who went to his prom in a borrowed suit and couldn't afford a corsage for his date, so his friends bought it.

"Nice things like that stay with you," Mohr said.

As she made flower arrangements, Joey Mayer came into the store and picked up a pink and a red rose for his fiancée. The cost was about $10.

Mayer, a 26-year-old painter from Picture Rocks, said he doesn't mind paying a little more for quality.

"I've bought flowers at the grocery store before — they don't last," he said. "But if you take care of these flowers, they can last up to two weeks. They make the house smell good."