When it comes to finding a gift for your nearest and dearest (or perhaps a nice treat for yourself), a beautiful bouquet of flowers is pretty much guaranteed to brighten anyone’s day. With online flower delivery brands to browse, sending the perfect bunch to your recipient’s doorstep couldn’t be easier.
Indeed, the days of trailing around the supermarket or petrol station looking for the perfect bunch are long gone, as many flower delivery companies will send their bouquets to the far reaches of the UK. Some brands such as Interflora can even arrange deliveries for friends and loved ones abroad.
Plus, if a special anniversary or a big birthday slips your mind, there’s no need to fret. Next-day delivery and sometimes even same-day deliveries can be secured. Meanwhile, if you’re buying flowers for yourself (we should all channel Miley Cyrus now and then), subscription services are a great hassle-free way to keep the blooms coming.
Not only that, the UK cut-flower and houseplant market was worth more than £2bn at the last count, which means there are plenty of brands to choose from.
We’ve tried and tested loads of online florists over the years, and the brands featured below are the ones that have impressed us time and time again.
How we tested
We judged on the variety, style, freshness, longevity and price of blooms, as well as assessing eco credentials, packaging, flower-care tips and delivery charges. Many brands offer letterbox flowers as well as hand-tied bouquets, and most provide subscription options, so you can send flowers every week or every month.
Our choices range from blooms for buyers on a budget to stems for people who want to splash out for a special birthday or anniversary. We looked for fair price points, and we reckon these florists’ bouquets are well worth the cost.
The best flower delivery brands for 2024 are:
Bloom & Wild
Best: Overall
Bloom & Wild deserves every ounce of its popularity and success. We’ve sampled lots of bouquets over the past couple of years and have been charmed every single time. They arrive in bud, ready to flower in situ, and usually bloom for two to three weeks. For those of us who aren’t flower experts, Bloom & Wild offers everything you need to look after your stems – two sachets of flower food, a handy flower-arranging guide and care advice.
The packaging is top-notch, too – distinctive brown boxes with upbeat messages and recyclable netting to protect the most delicate blooms. Tulips often arrive with bulbs attached, so you’ve got the option of replanting them in the garden.
Arena Flowers
Best: For eco-friendly ethics
We love Arena Flowers’s ethical ethos – but buying from this brand doesn’t mean sacrificing quality for conscience. We’ve sampled innumerable hand-tied bouquets and have always been delighted. In our experience, there are more flowers than sprigs of foliage, so each bunch feels full and generous.
There’s a wide range of colourful greetings cards (everything from happy anniversary to thank yous), which are included free of charge. If you’re buying a subscription, you can choose between an ethical selection and a pet-friendly selection that excludes flowers that pose a serious risk to your furry friends, which is a thoughtful touch.
Flowerbx
Best: For luxury, single-variety flowers
Flowerbx is one of the chicest brands we know. Founder and CEO Whitney Bromberg Hawkings worked in fashion for nearly 20 years before launching Flowerbx, and it shows. Her single-variety bouquets are the epitome of elegance.
We’ve tried Flowerbx blooms – everything from soft pink and white tulips to pink avalanche roses – a host of times and have been ultra-impressed on every occasion. Its elegant, unfussy blooms are delivered in classy white boxes with stylish branding, so deliveries cut a dash from the outset. There’s also an option to buy the perfectly shaped vase for your flowers at the same time.
The Real Flower Company
Best: For beautiful, scented roses of every size, shape and colour
If roses are among your favourite things, The Real Flower Company’s bouquets are in a class of their own. This Hampshire-based brand is all about luxury bouquets created from deliciously scented roses, English flowers and foliage from its sustainable flower farm and sister farm in Kenya.
Rosebie Morton founded the company in 1995 when she started growing scented garden roses in the walled garden at her family farm – and it’s gone from strength to strength. We’ve reviewed everything from Christmas wreaths to bouquets and have been thrilled each time. Flowers are delivered in distinctive green boxes with matching silk ribbon.
Wild at Heart
Best: Luxurious treat
Wild at Heart is one of the best-known names in the floristry business, founded by Nikki Tibbles and renowned for creating opulent arrangements for weddings, parties and high-profile events. The brand’s exquisite bouquets come in a range of different sizes but they are definitely at the pricier end of the market.
The upside is they really have the wow factor, especially if you’ve got an extra-special occasion in mind. The company pays scrupulous attention to detail – flowers are delivered in beautiful boxes, its complimentary cards are the most stylish we’ve seen, and the arrangements are out of this world. Even though Wild at Heart blooms are guaranteed for five days, in our experience, they last far longer than that.
Interflora
Best: For supporting your local high street and shopping local
We’re admirers of Interflora’s business model, which supports 1,000 artisan florists across the UK and Ireland. The brand launched in 1910 when a couple of resourceful US florists came up with the idea of telegraphing orders to each other from opposite sides of the country. The company launched in the UK 13 years later and the rest is history.
The beauty of Interflora is that its floral arrangements are delivered on the day they’re created, so they are, pardon the pun, as fresh as a daisy when they arrive. Bouquets are guaranteed for seven days but ours have often lasted for two to three weeks. Every bunch is handcrafted and hand-delivered in eco-friendly gift wrap, too.
Flying Flowers
Best: For vibrant pops of colour
From lush lilacs to romantic roses, the Flying Flowers story dates back to 1981, when a group of holidaymakers decided to send carnations home instead of postcards. More than 40 years on, the company has sent well over 12 million bunches to customers across the UK and still has a soft spot for carnations.
Flying Flowers’s blooms are always great value and we adore the jaunty green and pink packaging that has “Hello Petal” emblazoned across the box and the humorous “Bee Mine?” message on the flower wrapping. There’s often a special offer running – anything from free chocolates to extra flowers – so, keep a look out.
Bunches
Best: For cottage charm
Bunches is very much a family business. It launched under an umbrella in Mansfield in 1989 and has been sending flowers by post for more than 30 years. We’ve sampled its flowers many times and admire its pretty arrangements, from “darling decadence” (£46.75, Bunches.co.uk), a subtle arrangement of gold carnations, lilies, white roses, pink lisianthus, alstroemeria, wax flower and eucalyptus, to the delightfully named “rhubarb and custard” (£22, Bunches.co.uk), with its mix of pink, cream and lilac carnations.
Flowers usually arrive in bud, which means vase life is maximised, and there are helpful care tips, flower food, a cheery message and even a packet of wild bird seed. Bunches is committed to making a difference and donates at least 10 per cent of its profits to charities and projects in the UK and abroad.
Next flowers
Best: Value for money
Next’s flower offering is huge, ranging from its own brand to collaborations with Laura Ashley, Lipsy and The Chateau by Angel Strawbridge (one of our favourites). Its bouquets are great value and we like the fact that delivery is free, even on Sundays.
Many of the blooms arrive in stylish cardboard gift boxes, with flower food provided. Our sample bouquets have been abundant and generous (our last featured lilac roses, stocks and purple tulips) and suitable for numerous special occasions – from birthdays and anniversaries to new babies. To ensure the best quality, Next’s suppliers select the highest-grade, longest-lasting blooms and each bouquet is arranged and hand tied to order.
Serenata Flowers
Best: Long-lasting blooms
Serenata has been in the flower business for more than 18 years, so, it has tons of floral expertise at its green fingertips. The flowers we’ve sampled not only look stunning but have had remarkable longevity. We particularly like the bouquets’ imaginative names – everything from citrus smash (orange, cerise and yellow tulips and roses) to scarlet pimpernel (red roses, lilies and carnations).
Serenata’s turquoise boxes are jolly and fun, complete with flower food and chirpy flower tips, with instructions such as “feel free to talk to your flowers,” and “settle them somewhere they will feel comfortable, away from direct sun, draft and fruit”.
The verdict: Flower delivery brands
In our experience, Bloom & Wild gets it right every time, with a range of fairly priced flowers that are a joy to behold. We’re also keen on Arena’s eco-credentials and generous swathes of blooms and foliage, and Flowerbx’s elegant blooms in classy white boxes. Take your pick.
Voucher codes
For the latest offers on bouquets, hampers and more, try the links below:
Want more floral inspiration? These are the best letterbox flower brands to know
