The best online flower delivery services: seven favourites, freshly picked
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Whether you're thoughtfully browsing ahead for the perfect arrangement for Mother's Day – or panic shopping the day before Valentine's Day (no judgment) – online flower delivery services cater for everyone. Many of them offer amazing turnaround times too, including same-day delivery.
While doing my research, I grilled each service about its sustainability initiatives and looked for delivery services that provided British-grown flowers. I tested in January – not a time when the UK is bursting with blooms, but my research revealed they're out there, even in winter.
Best overall:
Marks & Spencer£100 at M&S
Best budget:
Scilly Flowers£28.50 at Scilly Flowers
Best subscription service:
Freddie's Flowers£41 at Freddie's Flowers
Best same-day flowers:
InterfloraFrom £75 at Interflora
Best letterbox flowers:
Bloom & Wild£42 at Bloom and Wild
I've been in the product-testing game for four years now, and have reviewed more than 1,000 products in that time. I've tested everything from heated blankets to high chairs, and all my reviews are firm but fair.
I'm a self-confessed anthophile, and this isn't my first time testing flower delivery services. Of course, I love luxury flowers as much as the next person – I have a soft spot for a fussy arrangement or silk ribbon – but I also have a lot of time for budget flowers. In spring, I rarely go past a bucket of £1 supermarket daffodils without picking up a bunch. Whatever your budget, I'm determined to hunt down the best bouquet for your buck.
During testing, I received many bunches from the main British flower-delivery services. In fact, I received 17 arrangements over a few days. My regular courier drivers asked if everything was OK, as they were delivering enough flowers to even satisfy Elton John's needs. The flowers were counted and cut on arrival to condition them, and then arranged into vases and placed around my house. I followed the directions for each bunch where relevant – arranging them and adding flower food as suggested.
I kept my eye on each bouquet every day, noting when any flowers began to fade. My house is a draughty Victorian number, but I did fire up the central heating and log burner intermittently to see how the flowers coped. I had all the flowers delivered over the course of two days so I could be sure they all underwent the same conditions (yes, I did need to invest in several new vases – charity shops are great hunting grounds for them).
£100 at M&S
Bouquet tested: rose, freesia and eucalyptus bouquet
This is a huge arrangement. There were 72 stems, with white and off-green roses making up the bulk of the hand-tied bouquet. There were also feathery freesias and lisianthus, and two types of deliciously scented eucalyptus. White veronica added drama.
Why we love itThese are not just flowers, these are … sorry, I just can't finish that sentence without screaming. But these are undeniably premium quality. The bouquet is dramatic and abundant, teeming with white and green flowers and foliage. And the stems were incredibly fresh. Marks and Spencer offers a guarantee that its flowers will look beautiful for at least five days. The flowers in my bunch exceeded this by some stretch, with just a few roses drooping after six days and everything else lasting into week two.
M&S says it sources as many flowers from Britain as it can, depending on what's in season. It also uses sustainable packaging. The flowers I tested came in a cardboard box and the bouquet was wrapped in kraft paper with a form of cellophane wrap over the top.
It's a shame that … some of the roses drooped quite quickly compared with the rest of the flowers in the arrangement.
Fastest delivery: next dayDelivery cost: FreeB Corp certified: no
£28.50 at Scilly Flowers
Bouquet tested: 60 scented narcissi
Spring sunshine in a box, this affordable delivery overflows with 60 beautiful budded narcissus stems, some vibrant egg-yolk yellow, some pastel. These could fill one massive vase or you would have plenty to split over two or three vases.
Why we love itAll Scilly Flowers stems are grown naturally outdoors without artificial light or heat. As such, these particular flowers are available from October to Easter. The whole farm is making strides in sustainability with low-irrigation initiatives, a solar power cold store and postal plane and boat shipping.
The flowers were easily the most highly scented delivery I received. They're low-effort, maximum joy in flower form. You don't need any special skills to arrange them because they're so gloriously simple. Many of the stems came as buds, and gradually opened up over the week, which spread the joy for longer.
It's a shame that … this bouquet isn't available all year round, although that's understandable.
Fastest delivery: 1st class Royal MailDelivery cost: freeB Corp certified: no
£41 at Freddie's Flowers
Bouquet tested: showstopper (seasonal arrangements change on four-weekly cycles)
Freddie's Flowers started as a subscription business, but now offers one-off gifts, too. For the subscription plan – which is the one I tested – you can set a day and frequency of your choice, and you can skip and cancel deliveries too. The flowers arrive in a box with instructions on how to arrange them best – so creative types will get a kick out of this subscription.
Why we love itThe flowers arrived unarranged, so I had loads of fun arranging the stems, following the instructions – but with a bit of creative licence. Some might find this stressful, but if you really love flowers it's such a joy to create your own display. The stems are all great quality and these flowers lasted the longest of any on test by some stretch. My finished arrangement was dramatic for sure – it filled a huge vase (you can opt for classic or the more spenny 'showstopper' box that I tested) and provided a focal point in my dining room.
I love that the subscription model means flowers are grown to order and that all packaging is biodegradable. Freddie's Flowers also allows you to return the delivery boxes to be reused – great if you have the space to save the box. The company is also signed up to the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI). The FSI focuses on responsible production and trade while attempting to improve the entire supply chain.
It's a shame that … you don't have much control over your delivery days, or which flowers you get – beware, cat owners, as lilies might be in the mix.
Fastest delivery: variable – delivery days are set depending on your postcodeDelivery cost: £4B Corp certified: yes
From £75 at Interflora
Bouquet tested: All My Love
Interflora is the flower-industry middle man, uniting customers with local florists who make the arrangements and then deliver them. The bouquet style is dictated by Interflora. I got a Valentine's special, All My Love, which had a couple of red roses, pink gerbera and peach-blush stocks along with foliage.
Why we love itInterflora is such a convenient service. It links you with a local florist, which is ideal if you're sending flowers to someone in a town you're not particularly familiar with. The flowers for my order came from my favourite local florist. Using local florists reduces the carbon footprint of the service somewhat. And the flowers themselves were beautiful – full of colour at a time of year when this is hard to achieve. If you order before 3pm, you can even get same-day delivery – great if you want to say 'sorry you're having a crappy day' to someone straight away (or have some making up to do).It's a shame that … at £75, I expected more than two roses in a bouquet.
Fastest delivery: same day (order before 3pm)Delivery cost: £10 for same-day delivery, £7.50 for named-day deliveryB Corp certified: no
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£42 at Bloom and Wild
Bouquet tested: the Scottie
Letterbox flowers have been around for a while now, and are really convenient if you're not sure when your recipient will be home. After testing various letterbox flowers, I rate Bloom & Wild as the best. There are two types of roses and some tulips in the mix, as well as pistache foliage. Their riot of colour and blousy petals were very welcome in grey January.
Why we love itThe best thing about this bunch is that they came with the bulbs still attached to the tulips. Not only does this look cool in the vase, but it means you can keep the bulbs, store them in a paper bag (also provided), and plant them out next year to grow in your garden or window box. It's best to plant them between September and November, or in December or January. They should then bloom again in six months.
I also loved how brightly coloured this bunch is, with plenty of pinks, reds and oranges that provided a colour clash I personally enjoyed. For the price, this had plenty of main character flowers – 11 in my count, which is much more than some of the pricer arrangements I received.
It's a shame that … the roses didn't last longer.
Fastest delivery: next day
Delivery cost: freeB Corp certified: yes
£30 at Smith and Munson
Best for: British-grown single-variety flowersBouquet tested: pink British tulips
Smith & Munson grows all its flowers in Lincolnshire – it specialises in tulips, like the sample I tried, lilies, peonies and ranunculus. These are all seasonal, so you can't get them out of season. I loved that they came in a dramatic cylinder, bursting with 20 tulips.
They were all buds when they arrived, ensuring they lasted as long as possible. However, thanks to the wonders of central heating, they quickly unfurled to showcase their candy-pink hues. Smith & Munson is dedicated to growing quality flowers in the UK, and having a single-variety bouquet meant every stem was a winner.
It didn't make the final cut because … the flowers didn't last quite as long as we'd have liked (about five days)
Fastest delivery: 24 hours (Tuesday-Saturday); delivery cost: free; B Corp certified: no
From £65 at Flowerbx
Best for: show-stopping flowersBouquet tested: peach avalanche roses, 20 stems
Flowerbx is another delivery service that offers single-variety bunches. For me, this was a peach avalanche rose, and you can pick from 20 to 100 stems. My arrangement was 20 stems, and they were absolutely gorgeous. Tightly budded when they arrived, they quickly opened and brought the drama to my kitchen island. I had so many admiring comments from visitors about them – many people deemed them the best. Despite being a single-variety offering, these still arrived as an arrangement rather than flat in a box, creating a bigger wow factor.
It didn't make the final cut because … the delivery turnaround times can be fairly long for £5.
Fastest delivery: same day in London, variable nationwide; delivery cost: from £5; B Corp certified: yes
Sustainability
Cut flowers don't have a great reputation in the sustainability stakes, but many brands are working hard to improve practices. Look for British-grown flowers where you can, and go for those that are seasonal. Peonies in January are just not a good vibe for the planet.
Delivery timesNot all flower-delivery services offer next-day delivery. Check the delivery service offering on the website or underneath each entry above. And some can sneak in the cost on top of the flowers, which ends up making a fairly affordable bunch rather punchy.
How to make your flowers last longer at homeCut flowers may only last for five days at home, even with all the variables being in their favour. Roses and tulips especially don't last long. However, other flowers such as hydrangeas and chrysanthemums can go for a lot longer.
To make your flowers last longer at home, you've got to think about care and the environment. Only ever use a clean vase, then trim off a few centimetres from the end of each stem. Cut them at a 45-degree angle to increase the surface area in the water. Remove any foliage on the stem below the water line, and then put them in cool water, mixed with flower food (all decent flowers should come with flower food).
Pick the right spot for your flowers. Spring flowers don't appreciate being near heat sources. Don't put them too close to your fruit bowl, either: fruit releases ethylene gas, which makes your flowers wilt more quickly.
As well as being more sustainable, seasonal flowers will last longer in your home. Knowing what's in season is the best place to start. If you're buying flowers in the depths of winter, this means no sunflowers or dahlias are coming your way.
Buy your flowers from a local florist, or via an online flower delivery service that says it offers British seasonal flowers. It may take a deep dive to find out what that actually looks like. Flower subscriptions, such as Freddie's Flowers above, are also a great way to get seasonal flowers that have been grown to order.
Zoë Phillimore is a freelance journalist with 20 years of experience. She's tested everything from mattresses to makeup, and she's slightly obsessed with finding small new businesses to spotlight. Aside from this niche interest, Zoë loves travel, being outside – especially on the beach – and adding books to her to-be-read pile
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