Getting flowers on Valentine’s Day is the ultimate treat—especially when those blooms are truly beautiful. So whether you’re nabbing flowers for your friend, mom, daughter, sweetheart—or yourself—here are four tips to keep in mind at the florist’s shop.

1. Choose flowers with some unopened buds. But avoid any tightly shut green buds, which were not given enough time to mature before cutting and will never open.

2. Look for firm stems and blossoms. If you’re shopping for flowers that have heavy heads, such as spider mums and gerbera daisies, choose stems with plastic straws or foam cuffs protecting the blooms.

3. Check leaves for discoloration and imperfections―an unhealthy appearance may indicate the flowers are past their prime.

4. Stores usually receive new stock on the same days every week. Ask a clerk or a manager when flowers are delivered so you can buy them at their freshest.

Got your blooms? Then check out these easy, DIY arrangements.