Help me level up my floral gifting!
April 28, 2024 7:43 AM Subscribe
People who give flowers as gifts: Do you reliably source nice, long-lasting arrangements for a reasonable price, whether via online, in person or DIY methods? If so, what's your secret?
I've tried so many routes for flower arrangements: turning up at neighborhood florists, various online flower sites, and doing DIY arrangements from bulk grocery store or garden center flowers.
For a minimum of $50-100 per bouquet, I'm frustrated by how variable the experience is. Sometimes flowers last for weeks, sometimes they die within a day or two, or arrive wilted already. (Presumably this is down to shipping/handling practices, but there's no way to tell how things were handled). Often, online-ordered bouquets arrive looking nothing like the gorgeous picture on the website. The first installment of a much-hyped monthly flower delivery subscription turned out to be like 5 anemic, browning lilies in a box.
When I try various neighborhood florists, because everyone says websites just outsource to local shops anyway, the selection is incredibly narrow (up to "virtually no flowers besides red roses" on any given day), prices seem much higher, and the quality of the flowers isn't any better anyway. Remote ordering from local floral shops seems even worse: if you call a shop instead of stopping by, you seem to get stuck just specifying a price and accepting that they're going to offload an ugly assortment of the cheapest possible flowers they have in stock.
Clearly I'm doing something or many things wrong-- but what? If you have a good workflow for finding good suppliers, timing your purchases, choosing items, or otherwise optimizing your flower gifts, can you share? Thanks!
I've tried so many routes for flower arrangements: turning up at neighborhood florists, various online flower sites, and doing DIY arrangements from bulk grocery store or garden center flowers.
For a minimum of $50-100 per bouquet, I'm frustrated by how variable the experience is. Sometimes flowers last for weeks, sometimes they die within a day or two, or arrive wilted already. (Presumably this is down to shipping/handling practices, but there's no way to tell how things were handled). Often, online-ordered bouquets arrive looking nothing like the gorgeous picture on the website. The first installment of a much-hyped monthly flower delivery subscription turned out to be like 5 anemic, browning lilies in a box.
When I try various neighborhood florists, because everyone says websites just outsource to local shops anyway, the selection is incredibly narrow (up to "virtually no flowers besides red roses" on any given day), prices seem much higher, and the quality of the flowers isn't any better anyway. Remote ordering from local floral shops seems even worse: if you call a shop instead of stopping by, you seem to get stuck just specifying a price and accepting that they're going to offload an ugly assortment of the cheapest possible flowers they have in stock.
Clearly I'm doing something or many things wrong-- but what? If you have a good workflow for finding good suppliers, timing your purchases, choosing items, or otherwise optimizing your flower gifts, can you share? Thanks!
I have strong opinions on this and have shared my method before.
posted by phunniemee at 8:10 AM on April 28 [3 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 8:10 AM on April 28 [3 favorites]
Locally to me, I have had by far the best luck with the farmer's market, but this is only practical at certain times of year.
I have to say that I have never yet had good results with my own local area florists trying the local florist method phunniemee describes. The posted hours bear only a loose relationship to when someone will be in the shop to help. The flowers available, when I do get someone, are very limited and the advice the florists offer about what is in season and nice is profoundly unreliable. So I sympathize very much with Bardolph here and hope for more ideas.
posted by redfoxtail at 8:34 AM on April 28
I have to say that I have never yet had good results with my own local area florists trying the local florist method phunniemee describes. The posted hours bear only a loose relationship to when someone will be in the shop to help. The flowers available, when I do get someone, are very limited and the advice the florists offer about what is in season and nice is profoundly unreliable. So I sympathize very much with Bardolph here and hope for more ideas.
posted by redfoxtail at 8:34 AM on April 28
Many florists have a pretty wide delivery range. If your recipient lives an hour or two within a major city, you can use a major city florist. The competition between florists in the city improves quality in my view. Tonic Blooms is a great example.
You can also screen florist websites in local areas to catch their vibe. I like the ones that advertise seasonal local bouquets/flowers, like the peony feature on Tonic Blooms. Celsia Floral in Vancouver is another example with the ranunculus bouquet. These two florists also have a big social media presence, so they do have to deliver pretty consistently to get good customer feedback.
posted by shock muppet at 9:54 AM on April 28
You can also screen florist websites in local areas to catch their vibe. I like the ones that advertise seasonal local bouquets/flowers, like the peony feature on Tonic Blooms. Celsia Floral in Vancouver is another example with the ranunculus bouquet. These two florists also have a big social media presence, so they do have to deliver pretty consistently to get good customer feedback.
posted by shock muppet at 9:54 AM on April 28
When I lived in San Francisco, I went to the San Francisco Flower Market after their wholesale hours finished and before noon for DIY bouquets. The flowers were cheaper than anywhere else and by definition, lots of the florists are buying their flowers there so they're also fresher than from many florists. Farmgirl Flowers, mentioned above, sourced their flowers from that market when they were just getting started and packed them in a warehouse about a mile away, but they now usually ship direct from wherever the flowers are grown. They are particularly good at shipping flowers that are still a bit closed so that they last longer, while many of the other sellers will ship flowers that are in full bloom so they're almost dead. I order from Boqus when Farmgirl is sold out of want I want/can't ship on the day I need, but I don't think their flowers are quite as nice.
When I buy from neighborhood shops/streetcorner flower sellers, I limit myself to flowers that I know can last a long time and avoid buying if the flowers are outside and it's recently been very hot. Peonies, hydrangeas, orchids, and lilies should last a long time if they haven't been exposed to warm temperatures. Tulips, if you buy them mostly closed, won't last nearly as long but are often cheaper per day that they're in bloom.
For local florists, I find it's hit-or-miss and you just have to try and see, but if you know anyone who is a frequent corporate flower gifter, they might have recommendations. In NYC I'm a fan of Plantshed because my realtor gifted me a pot with 3 orchids that thrived and rebloomed multiple times, giving me almost continuous blooms for 2 years. Another orchid gifted to me at the same time from an online seller died of root rot within 3 months because it was planted in the wrong kind of pot/material and got extremely waterlogged.
posted by A Blue Moon at 12:06 PM on April 28 [1 favorite]
When I buy from neighborhood shops/streetcorner flower sellers, I limit myself to flowers that I know can last a long time and avoid buying if the flowers are outside and it's recently been very hot. Peonies, hydrangeas, orchids, and lilies should last a long time if they haven't been exposed to warm temperatures. Tulips, if you buy them mostly closed, won't last nearly as long but are often cheaper per day that they're in bloom.
For local florists, I find it's hit-or-miss and you just have to try and see, but if you know anyone who is a frequent corporate flower gifter, they might have recommendations. In NYC I'm a fan of Plantshed because my realtor gifted me a pot with 3 orchids that thrived and rebloomed multiple times, giving me almost continuous blooms for 2 years. Another orchid gifted to me at the same time from an online seller died of root rot within 3 months because it was planted in the wrong kind of pot/material and got extremely waterlogged.
posted by A Blue Moon at 12:06 PM on April 28 [1 favorite]
For the same reasons you name, I have mostly switched to buying dried flower arrangements as gifts now. They are a little more expensive, but by their very nature they are long lasting, and you can get lovely dyed ones now for the bright colour factor. I'm in the UK so I don't have US recommendations, alas!
posted by In Your Shell Like at 12:23 PM on April 28
posted by In Your Shell Like at 12:23 PM on April 28
Not quite a total problem solver, but I’ve had best luck with brick and mortar florist shops with fairly awful websites that have been in business at least 25 years. If you’re vaguely familiar with a town it also helps to choose something in the wealthier parts of town. Especially if they have some sort of local university nearby and feature a “graduation” bouquet means they are used to solid, repeat orders each year.
The florist i used for our wedding, despite beautiful flowers that day of, focuses on locally sourced and eco approaches but I’ve found that their arrangements wilt much faster than other places I’ve ordered from. I don’t really recommend them for general bouquets.
posted by raccoon409 at 5:00 PM on April 28
The florist i used for our wedding, despite beautiful flowers that day of, focuses on locally sourced and eco approaches but I’ve found that their arrangements wilt much faster than other places I’ve ordered from. I don’t really recommend them for general bouquets.
posted by raccoon409 at 5:00 PM on April 28
Does there exist near you a local florist that sells locally grown flowers? We have one here in Baltimore, and local is so much their value prop that it's their name: Local Color Flowers aka LoCoFlo. In the off-season they buy from local greenhouse growers. In growing season, the blooms in my bouquet were grown within a regional radius, usually cut yesterday.
No matter the season, local flowers stay fresh many days longer than flowers that have been flown across the country or the world. If your "local florist" is sourcing flowers a plane ride away, such as from Kenya, Colombia, or the Netherlands (apparently 80% of all US cut flowers) then they'll already be at least a few days old, very well traveled, and handled by many hands by the time you place your order.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 4:57 AM on April 29
No matter the season, local flowers stay fresh many days longer than flowers that have been flown across the country or the world. If your "local florist" is sourcing flowers a plane ride away, such as from Kenya, Colombia, or the Netherlands (apparently 80% of all US cut flowers) then they'll already be at least a few days old, very well traveled, and handled by many hands by the time you place your order.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 4:57 AM on April 29
Phunnimee's advice has worked 100% of the time for me, the key is that you need to find a well-reviewed local florist. A lot of them are mediocre, but even for relatives that live in the sticks I have always managed to find a good one. The sweet spot for me is giving a budget and basic guidance. So, "she likes the color lilac", or "no roses or baby's breath". Simple, but enough to get the arranger thinking about your specific person.
However, lately I have been extremely happy with Bouqs (hat tip to, yes, the Wirecutter). They source directly from growers, and have consistently been extremely fresh. Even fragile flowers have arrived in excellent condition. On a couple occasions, what I thought were past-their-prime blooms had simply not had enough time to show their stuff. Prices are very reasonable. Two downsides: the bouquets still have to be arranged on arrival, and to get the best selection you have to order in advance. That's how they have such excellent quality, they have some items available for same-day or short delivery windows, but if you want the best selection you have to use their subscription service. Most flowers ship by air from tropical locales like Ecuador, but that's true of flowers in general, even those at your local florist.
posted by wnissen at 9:08 AM on April 29
However, lately I have been extremely happy with Bouqs (hat tip to, yes, the Wirecutter). They source directly from growers, and have consistently been extremely fresh. Even fragile flowers have arrived in excellent condition. On a couple occasions, what I thought were past-their-prime blooms had simply not had enough time to show their stuff. Prices are very reasonable. Two downsides: the bouquets still have to be arranged on arrival, and to get the best selection you have to order in advance. That's how they have such excellent quality, they have some items available for same-day or short delivery windows, but if you want the best selection you have to use their subscription service. Most flowers ship by air from tropical locales like Ecuador, but that's true of flowers in general, even those at your local florist.
posted by wnissen at 9:08 AM on April 29
Flower experiences are always going to be a little variable because flowers are so very perishable and seasonal, and local florists are like any tiny business: extremely individual.
However, I have yet to have a bad experience with UrbanStems. I've used them many times and the "worst" experience was still a huge hit with the recipient -- it was just somewhat smaller a bouquet than I'd been expecting personally.
They are pricey, however; and while they do deliver next-day anywhere in the US/lower 48 I haven't tried sending to anywhere particularly remote. It's possible that the variety/quality could vary as you get further out from major cities.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 1:32 PM on May 1
However, I have yet to have a bad experience with UrbanStems. I've used them many times and the "worst" experience was still a huge hit with the recipient -- it was just somewhat smaller a bouquet than I'd been expecting personally.
They are pricey, however; and while they do deliver next-day anywhere in the US/lower 48 I haven't tried sending to anywhere particularly remote. It's possible that the variety/quality could vary as you get further out from major cities.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 1:32 PM on May 1
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posted by kimdog at 8:00 AM on April 28 [9 favorites]