Best flower delivery services for special occasions: blooms they will love

Natural decoration from Mother Nature, a gift of fresh flowers is one that’s universally loved.

They’re the crowd-pleasing gift for all sorts of life moments: think anniversaries, weddings, graduations, recovery from illness, condolences, birthdays - and even literal birth days when exhausted new mums are boosted by fresh floral arrangements as they cuddle their bundles of joy.

Flowers are the quintessential gift: there’s no more foolproof way to show your loved ones just how much you care than with a well-chosen bunch of petals.

They’ll be particularly appreciated by those without gardens or their own patch of outdoor space, offering a simple yet powerful way to stay connected with loved ones as well as nature.

It’s always wise to send flowers that are in season, to keep costs down as well as to lessen the environmental impact. Aside from this golden rule, look for companies who use local florists to create bouquets so that they arrive in-bud or fresh and as a result, will last for longer - not to mention go some way to supporting local businesses.

Whether you’re looking for big bouquets, letterbox flowers or want to set up a subscription to have flowers delivered on a monthly basis (now there’s a real treat) scroll on to discover the best flowers to have delivered in the UK.

See our favourites below

FLOWERBX

More of an interior floral designer than a florist in the traditional sense, Flowerbx has a fiercely loyal following thanks to its reputation of delivering premium stems in stunning arrangements.

Offerings include hydrangeas in shades ranging from candy pink to pistachio, but you can find clutches of dainty ghost whisper allium and dainty orchids elsewhere too.

If you’re looking for a particular kind of flower or have an arrangement in mind, there’s also a bespoke option where you can work with the company to make your vision a reality.

Best of the bunch: with varying shades of purple in the mix, the five-stem Lavender Blush Hydrangea bouquet (from £50) is a dreamy look you won’t tire of.

Buy now £50.00, FLOWERBX

Arena Flowers

Fairtrade flowers from an ethical florist, we’ve never been disappointed with a delivery from Arena Flowers.

From wildflower bouquets to rose arrangements for birthdays, every delivery we’ve taken from the postman has arrived impeccably wrapped, with a sachet of flower food and helpful instructions on getting the best from your blooms.

Arena has a subscription service on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis - handy, because once you get used to having fresh flowers in the house, it’s hard to go without. Prices from £20. They also offer luxury flowers, hand-tied bouquets and letterbox-sized parcels of petals, as well as a selection of plants and gifts for the home, ideal for sending a package that go one step above blooms alone: think prosecco, posh chocs and room fragrances.

Best of the bunch: Inspired by the sun setting over golden wheat fields, Summer Glow (£50) is a stunning pastel compilation of blooms featuring avalanche roses, blue eryngium and wispy silvergrass.

Buy now £50.00, Arena Flowers

Bloom & Wild

The pioneers of letterbox flowers, Bloom & Wild offers bountiqful bouquets for every occasion imaginable - or simply, just because. There are petals to suit every need: think subscriptions, as well as house plants, treat yourself flowers, hand-tied bouquets and even dried flowers, perfectly preserved and designed to last for longer than its fresh counterparts.

Flowers last up to 10 days. Order flowers before 10pm for free next day delivery in the UK.

Best of the bunch: bouquets don’t get much more cheerful than The Kelly (£38), an arrangement bursting with bold pops of colour. Deemed ‘a love letter to summer’, expect a riot of homegrown hydrangea, sunflowers, and gladioli, amongst other stems.

Buy now £38.00, Bloom & Wild

Sage Flowers

If you’re looking for something more unusual to send, look to Sage, a new guard of florist rewriting the handbook. Founded by two south Londoners, seasonal arrangements aim to be a departure from traditional floristry and are lauded by the likes of Rihanna and Gucci.

They’re also supporting the next generation of florists with a Future Flowers initiative. Worthy petals that are a joy to look at too.

Best of the bunch: These are some haute looking petals, and while we enjoy high-fashion form as much as the next flower lover, there’s something about the Natural arrangement, £40, that makes our hearts skip a beat.

Buy now, Sage Flowers

Freddie’s Flowers

This west London florist is part of a new wave of florists getting younger shoppers buzzed about all things botanical.

Freddie sees flowers as an everyday necessity rather than something to enjoy solely on special occasions, so the site is subscription only. That said, if you’re making a truly grand gesture, what’s bigger and better than a monthly flower delivery?

It costs £25 a go, and once you’ve set up your account you can pause or suspend delivery at any time, letting you choose exactly how much to splash on la fleurs. Each bouquet is an exclusive design, curated by the company’s expert team of florists and handled with the utmost care. They deliver by bicycle and van all over the country.

Buy now, Freddie’s Flowers

Moonpig

If you need to sent sentiment in a hurry, Moonpig is one of the Internet’s great one-stop-shops to getting it done quickly. The digital gift shop has it all, from cards and gifts to flowers and plants. It’s perfect if you’re on a budget too - Valentine’s Day flowers start from just £10.

Best of the bunch: Don’t let flowers be the eleventh hour choice - get ahead of the game and put your order in now. When you can’t give a hug in person, the The Happy Birthday Gift Set (£40) with sunflowers in the fray, offers the botantical alternative.

Buy now £40.00, Moonpig

Floom

Shop flowers, plants, gifts, hampers and groceries all in one place at Floom. The site is an online marketplace for smaller local florists, so the bouquets available depends on the postcode of your delivery address. Check first before you set your heart on any design in particular. There’s free delivery for first-time Floomers if you spend over £50.

Best of the bunch: While roses, peonies and tulips are perennial favourites, we like the easy, country feel of the Pastel Love bouquet (£65) in particular: the eclectic varieties will suit a variety of interiors styles.

Buy now £65.00, Floom

Bunches

Send flowers quickly to any corner of the UK with Bunches. The family-owned business has the environment close to heart and aims to cut its impact where it can, from plastic-free letterbox flowers to recyclable paper wrapping and packs of compostable flower food. Their website also states they donate 10 per cent of profits to helping the less fortunate, in the UK as well as the developing world - Bunches are florists with heart.

But what of their flowers? Their offering spans everything from monthly subscription flowers to birthday blooms and petals for your pals. There’s even a hamper section if you’re looking to send a more substantial gift.

Best of the bunch: Prices start at a very agreeable £19 for a dozen carnations to £49 for a dreamy wildflower and roses bouquet, designed to paint a smile on your lucky recipient. All items come with a greeting card bearing your message and include free standard delivery with Royal Mail first class post.

Buy now £19.00, Bunches

McQueens Flowers

From photoshoots to celebrity weddings and A-list events, McQueens is often the first port of call for haute blooms that make an impact. As well as running a celebrated Flower School and designing floral displays for a roster of corporate clients, they sell bountiful bouquets to the public too. Options very much sit on the extravagnt end of the scale (with price tags to match), but if you’re hoping to make a lasting impression, there are few who do it better than McQueens.

Best of the bunch: If the brief is ‘drama - but make it summer’, McQueens delivers with the Dewdrop bouquet (from £95), a refreshing compilation of green hydrangeas with daisies, roses and powder blue delphiniums in the mix.

Buy now £95.00, McQueens

Floward

Floward offer everything from birthday blooms to DIY arrangements in letterbox-sized parcels. There are bunches of full, fluttery roses, along with arrangements to bring spring to interiors and pastel hand-tied bouquets guaranteed to impress.

They claim to provide the fastest delivery service, which allows customers to place orders any time up to 8pm and guarantees their flower arrangements will arrive on the same day up until 10pm! How’s that for an eleventh hour hero? Prices from £25.

Best of the bunch: If classic roses are what you’re after, the Romantic Freedom (£102) bunch is textbook. The bouquet comes in a glass cube vase with 35 picture perfect stems for your money.

Buy now, Floward

Bloom

Make your home feel like spring forever with the help of Bloom, a venture from celebrity florist Larry Walshe. Bloom offers a variety of options for all, from hand-tied Luxury Gift Bouquets (starting at £75), bunches of Market Flowers, which come directly from the grower (from £30), and the flexible Best in Bloom flower subscription - at £35 per box, it’s a major bargain.

Its USP is revolutionary personalised Create Your Own Bouquet service. Starting from £44, you can pick the stems, foliage, size, colour, sentiment, and overall look of your dream bouquet – just as you would do in a florist – with Bloom bringing your vision to life and delivering to your door.

It’s also entirely sustainable and 100 per cent plastic-free, with orders shipped using DPD - one of the cleanest, greenest couriers in the UK. The brand also partners with the World Land Trust, planting trees to offset its carbon footprint.

Best of the bunch: As well-heeled and dreamy as the London borough for which it is named, The Mayfair, £127.50, is a timeless kind of bouquet, bound to be adored by all.

Buy now £127.50, Bloom

HOAX Flowers

The team behind the dazzling floral artistry seen at the Ivy, Balthazar and Sexy Fish have launched a sister company to create stunning installations on a smaller scale for private homes.

HOAX is an offshoot of Early Hours London, and aims to give your house a restaurant and hotel-worthy upgrade with design-led, handcrafted and long-lasting faux arrangements that come ready to admire in stunning vases. Set aside thoughts of dusty silk roses, every one of these arrangments look every inch the real deal.

Best of the bunch: We’ve long loved the design of HOAX’s Saphia (£150) which gathers sunset hued ranunculus into a dark pink vase. They look so realistic every guest who has reached out to stroke a petal has yelped in suprise.

Buy now £150.00, HOAX Flowers

Hayford & Rhodes

Offering windswept bouquets that could have been picked from Chelsea Flower Show displays, Hayford & Rhodes is a great place to send a floral display of your affection. Its USP is that it offers a selection of lovely gifts in addition to flowers: think luxury champagne, chocolate truffles, fine wine and scented candles.

Best of the bunch: Available in four sizes, the Gingham bouquet (from £85) pairs purple and lilac petals alongside lush green hydrangeas and foliage for a jewelled look that’s bound to add elegance to any room.

Buy now £85.00, Hayford & Rhodes

Maison de Fleurs

Serving stunning bouquets all year round, Maison de Fleurs is a florist with luxury leanings. The collection includes a riot of roses in pink, red and mixed arrangements, starting from £90 for a long-life design. Available in table-top ready round and square boxes, eliminating the need for a vase - simply sit back and smell the roses. Lovely.

Best of the bunch: There’s nothing wallflower-like about leaning away from red roses, especially if you’re sending a bouquet to a friend or family member where a more subdued colour is appropriate. The Signature, £75, nails feelings of affection with various shades of blush, peach and pink.

Buy now £75.00, Maison de Fleurs

Flowerstation

This North London florist delivers perfect petals all over the city - and beyond. From generous hand-tied bouquets to whimsical wildflowers and potted plants to bring the beauty of the outdoors into the home, browsing the options on Flowerstation is like taking a leisurely stroll through a virtual garden.

They run promotions too - most notably Bouquet of the Week - in which you can scoop up a pretty arrangement for a limited time only.

Best of the bunch: Head to Flowerstation’s Luxury Flowers for blooms that will make the biggest impact; we like Park Avenue (£195.99) which strikes the right balance between elegance and daintiness.

Buy now £195.99, Flowerstation

Appleyard Flowers

Not only does Appleyard offer flowers, plants and gifts, but it does hampers too - perfect for sending those with a big event to celebrate. You can even order fruit and veg boxes, as one-offs or subscriptions, streamlining your fresh produce needs to one handy supplier.

Answering the stresses of Covid, the florist has come up with a Stay Connected edit of bouquets, designed to convey your love and thoughts by way of a fabulous bunch of flowers.

Best of the bunch: Want to make a grand gesture? Scents of Summer (£42.99) uses pink peonies, pink stocks and stems of purple September to bring the season to life. Beware if your recipient is also a cat ownder, as lily pollen is toxic to felines.

Buy now £42.99, Appleyard Flowers

M&S Flowers

Proving it’s more than a place to buy multi-packs of Brazilian briefs, M&S offers a solid flower delivery service, conveying feelings through florals from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

The high street favourite has a subscription service offered on a weekly, fortnightly and monthly basis with all flowers being delivered on Wednesdays. It’s a nice option for those who enjoys fresh flowers regularly, or if you want to bestow a particularly generous gift on a friend or partner.

Best of the bunch: We like the wild, rustic aesthetic of the Protea Posy (£25), a chic compilation of cerise rose, cape mix and protea flowers, which represent change and hope. Include add-ons like chocolate boxes and fizz if you want to send a bigger gift.

Buy now £25.00, M&S

Serenata Flowers

Need cheerful, bright flowers that won’t dent your finances? Head to Serenata, which stocks blooming gorgeous wildflowers and luxury petals for less than you would expect. As well as UK-wide, Serenata also works with partners in other countries to deliver flowers as far afield as Ireland, America, Australia and South Africa.

Best of the bunch: If you’ve been neglecting your mum or nan with regular calls, make it up to them with a lovely bunch of stems - Country Fields (£29.99) will go down an absolute storm and have them showing off to their mates.

Buy now, Serenata Flowers

Waitrose Flowers

Gorgeous flowers are in full bloom at Waitrose, which has options for all occasions in the bag. Send them to friends, send them to family, send them to yourself as a massively pleasing act of self-love.

Seasonal stems aside, there are plenty of other options at Waitrose: think bouquets, same-day delivery, letterbox and indoor and outdoor plants - there are even potted trees for those who want something that will last for much longer than a bunch of roses. Prices are palatable too, with many bouquets sitting around the £30 mark.

Best of the bunch: Want to cause a stir? Get the Summer Sensation Large Bouquet (£38) delivered for a gift that’ll make their summer.

Buy now £38.00, Waitrose Flowers

Smith & Munson

Family run growers Smith & Munson specialise in bringing premium flowers to customers across London and the South East. The stems are nurtured in giant greenhouses, allowing them to be plucked whatever the British weather throws at them. The selection is small but considered with tulips undeniably the star of the show.

Best of the bunch: Feel like roses are a bit ‘done’? Break tradition this year with a delivery of elegant British tulips instead, £25. Smith & Munson’s come directly from the growers and are wrapped in 100 per cent recyclable wrapping. You needn’t stick to red either - pick from pink, purple, white and yellow as well as crimson.

Buy now £25.00, Smith & Munson

Flowercard

If you haven’t seen your family for months, why not perk madre up with a petal delivery? The Thinking of You collection is sure to leave them beaming with joy.

There are versions for all kinds in packaging that includes darling little baskets to double opening cards and designs nestled in tea-cups. Prepare to pay an average of £24 per option.

Best of the bunch: This Falling For You arrangement, £25, is bursting out of its card, making it feel extravagant and OTT. Just what Cupid ordered.

Buy now £25.00, Flowercard

My Lady Garden

Flowers that pack a punch are always the order of the day at east London florist My Lady Garden. The website sells a variety of gifts, from single-variety bouquets, to arrangements with mixed stems and even the odd sex toy (yes really).

Best of the bunch: X-Plosion (£95) is a look you’d be hard pressed to find at other florists, combining architectural petals with unusual colours for a statement look a discerning flower fan will adore.

Buy now, My Lady Garden