Flowers Dos and Don’ts

Flowers are such a great gift for every occasion, but so easy to get wrong, and pretty easy to get right. Here’s our hints and tips, do's and don'ts, and suggested offerings to avoid the cold shoulder.

Do’s

Do it with style - if you're the type who avoids sending red roses because they seem such a cliche, then the good news is that florists are keeping up with your good taste! There is no need to choose a traditional arrangement if that's not your beloveds style, or yours. We think this is absolutely stunning, called Kaleidoscope from Flowergram. A mix of tropical flowers, roses and foliage, this are contemporary flowers at their best.

Do It Yourself – if the love of your life fancies herself, or his self, as a world class florist, then order them a great box of flowers from Bloomen.com and let them unleash their creative talents.  This is a great, stylish monochrome box in trendy shades of green, with masses of flowers (60 in total so allows for lots of different creations or one very stylish statement). There are great varieties of flowers, and lots of colour options on offer. Delivery is next day and free, except for Saturday deliveries, but even so, these represent exceptional value!

Do Choose Unusual Flowers – if you’re not going for quantity go for quality, and unusual ones at that. This gorgeous bouquet from Crocus, contains familiar but beautiful Grand Prix roses along with the more unusual giant thistles and lisanthus. Gorgeous, and delivery is included. Unless you want it delivered on a Saturday, in which case it will cost you £6.50 but when flowers are this stunning it's probably worth it.

Do the Celeb route – Jane Packer is one of the most well-known florists in the UK, and you can enjoy the same style as her celebrity clients but probably without the celeb price tag. This gorgeous hat box full of roses, is called Rose Sorbet, and is filled with red and pink roses, absolutely stunning. It would be perfect for Valentine's Day or a perfectly romantic gesture at any time of the year.

Do It Fairly - by choosing Fairtrade Flowers. We love these pink roses from Imogen Stone, which not only look gorgeous but guarantee a better deal for flower farmers in the developing world. Now, supply can be intermittant, but always worth checking in with them to find out if they are available, particularly if you have your own green goddess who would appreciate an ethical gift!

Do it for Longer – instead of buying a bouquet, buy the living plant, so it goes on growing and blooming for as long as its well looked after. Roses are always a favourite, and for me, no one does them better than David Austin. You could choose a rose by colour, by type, or just pick a name that will mean something to both of you. Just become a family? What could be more appropriate than Happy Child?

Do It Differently – don’t send flowers at all. Try a bouquet of helium balloons. They’re cute, and will probably bring a smile to their face. Best for everyday occasions, like just saying “I’m thinking of you” or “Get well soon”, rather than the big romantic occasions. Order online from Bizzy Balloons.

Do it Big – send a whole tree. Very manly, our choice would be a Holm Oak Tree from Trees Online. Amazingly, they’ll gift wrap it for you and deliver it. Just don’t expect some 30ft tree to arrive! Nice to celebrate the birth of your child, something else to watch grow, but less likely to wake you up at unsociable hours. If you don’t want the hassle of taking care of it, and worrying about where the roots are going to go, then buy a tree that someone else looks after, such as the Woodland Trust.

Do it Regularly – choose a gift subscription of flowers, delivered on a regular basis to your loved one. My choice would be a hand tied bouquet of roses from The Real Flower Company. I would think that one of these turning up every month would earn serious points with your other half. These are seriously beautiful flowers, I saw them again at the Chelsea Flower Show this year, and fell in love with them all over again. To be honest, I'd settle for just one bouquet from them, but I’m just going to leave this page open for my nearest and dearest to read, just in case he's feeling generous…

Do Good – order your flowers from Charity Flowers, the only flowers by post service to be wholly owned by a big charity, Age Concern. Spread the love around!

And now, a few don’ts!

Starting at the very beginning, one fairly simple rule. Don’t buy flowers at the garage, particularly ones that have bright blue flowers in them (come on, have you ever seen Mother Nature produce anything that colour?).

Don’t assume these are just for the girls. You know what, if you choose the right version then the man in your life could be very surprised and secretly pleased.

Don't be mean. It’s the equivalent of the quarter pound box of chocolates. Buy the most stylish bunch you can afford. Or, if in doubt, buy two or more of the same bunch. If you can get three bunches of daffs for £1, then go for six bunches.

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