It took a Mississippi florist with a mission to begin a new tradition called Good Neighbor Day.

Begun by Ridgeland florist Brook Jacobs in 1994 as a way for people to get to know one another, Good Neighbor Day will be continued as a day of generosity and good will from Moreton’s Flowerland to Natchez.

Tomorrow, Blair and Brenda Zerby of Moreton’s Flowerland on Franklin Street will give away dozens of flowers to area residents with the single instruction to keep one flower for themselves and pass the rest on to neighbors, friends, acquaintances or total strangers, one flower at a time.

Zerby has ordered 100 dozen roses for Good Neighbor Day this year.

&uot;You basically look at the money you can spend and get with your growers and wholesalers to see what kind of price you can get on the flowers, and then determine how many you can order,&uot; she said.

Given current retail prices, Zerby will be handing away $3,850 worth of roses in her store beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

&uot;It’s OK,&uot; she said. &uot;Today’s the one day when we can give flowers away to make people feel better.&uot;

Zerby said in previous years she has handed out all flowers by 10:30 a.m., so she said a good tip for those interested in participating in Good Neighbor Day is to pick up your roses early.

Since 1994, the Good Neighbor Day idea has gone international with over 3,500 FTD florists around the world participating this year.