Sending Flowers to the Love of your Life - Top Tips for Getting it Right

Choosing the right flowers for every occasionpurchase brings a smile to more than the face of
Sending Flowers to the Love of your Life - Top Tipsyour beloved.
for Getting it RightDo the Celeb route
Flowers are such a great gift for every occasion, butThere is a growing army of celebrity florists, and
so easy to get wrong, and pretty easy to get right.their work is getting to be available to a wider
Here's our hints and tips, do's and don'ts, to avoid theaudience, thanks to the power of the internet. If
cold shoulder and putting yourself back into theyou're in the UK or NYC, then you can have flowers
doghouse. Firstly, what not to do.from Jane Packer, who was the florist of choice
Don't buy flowers at the garage or the supermarket.when Prince Andrew got married. Although we
Especially not the cheap, reduced to clear ones, andwouldn't hold that against her.
particularly ones that have bright blue flowers inLike designer clothing, there are several layers of
them. I mean come on, have you ever seen Motherchoice even with the celebrity florist. You can get
Nature produce anything that colour? With cheapthe bespoke or couture version from the shop, or
flowers, you may almost be better off not botheringthe off the peg version from the online presence,
at all. It may well not be the thought that counts.with prices to match.
If budget is top of mind, then how about pickingIf you're in the US, you could choose flowers from
some wild flowers instead? If you do go with thethat high-priestess of home style, Martha Stewart.
garage version then our top tip is buy two bunches,The thing to remember when you choose the celeb
take them out the wrappings and rewrap them. Ifroute is that they have a lot invested in making sure
you're at a garage in the UK, buy the Financial Times,their standards are maintained, so you should always
as that salmon pink newsprint makes a pretty funkyget quality flowers and interesting bouquets.
wrapping paper, and will transform even the saddestAnd if you don't, then complain. They definitely want
looking set of flowers into something beautiful.to keep their good name!
And if you do choose something from the garage,Do it for Longer
bear in mind our next tip too!Instead of buying a bouquet, buy the living plant, so
Don't be mean.it goes on growing and blooming for as long as its
It's the equivalent of the quarter pound box ofwell looked after. If your wife or girlfriend has a
chocolates. Buy the most stylish bunch you canfavourite flower, then buy her it is a plant if it will
afford, or buy more of a cheaper flower.grow where you live.
You'd be amazed at how stunning masses ofRoses grow pretty much anywhere, and there are
something simple like daffodils are together, andso many varieties that you are bound to find
often in the spring you'll get 3 bunches for £1.something she'd love. You could choose buy name, or
So for less than the cost of a pint of beer in London,perhaps by the name, something that means
you could get 9 bunches, which will look spectacular.something to her or the two of you. You might even
Don't assume flowers are just for the girls.find one in her name or, if you are feeling a bit flush,
For any ladies hunting down tips for their otheryou can even get a new variety of rose named
halves, we're talking to you! If you choose the rightafter her, if you have £800 spare.
version then the man in your life could be veryDavid Austin, one of the most well-established
surprised and secretly pleased to receive some greatgrowers in the world, have a number of roses with
looking blooms. Although probably best not to sendwomen's names including Ellen, Charlotte and Amelia,
them to his workplace.and even Sweet Juliet. Their roses are available in
So bearing all that in mind, here's what to do.both the UK and the USA, and in the UK they also
Do it with styledo spectacular hand tied bouquets featuring their
If you're the type who avoids sending red rosesbeautiful roses.
because they just seem such a cliché, don'tDo It Differently
think the romantic gesture is beyond you. MostDon't send flowers at all! Try a bouquet of helium
florists have moved into the 21st century and canballoons. They're cute, and will probably bring a smile
offer stunning modern bouquets with no sign of redto their face. They're best for everyday occasions,
roses or gypsophilia. Don't be afraid to tell them whatlike just saying "I'm thinking of you" or "Get well
you want to avoid, as well as what you think yoursoon", rather than the big romantic occasions.
other half might like.Do it Big
Do It YourselfSend a whole tree. This is lovely to celebrate the
Well, not so much you as the love of your life. Ifbirth of your child, something else to watch grow,
they fancy themselves as a world class florist, thenbut less likely to wake you up at unsociable hours. Or
get them a box of flowers from a wholesalers andperhaps you could choose one for your 5th or 6th
let them unleash their creative talents.wedding anniversary, depending on whether you are
If you're in the London area, then make an earlyfollowing the traditional or modern gift list.
morning trip to the legendary New Covent GardenIf you don't want the hassle of taking care of a tree,
Flower Market, and buy in a bucket load. Most stallsand worrying about where the roots are going to go,
have done the bulk of their business by 6am, butthen buy a tree that someone else looks after, such
you'll find some great places for a bacon sandwich tothrough the Woodland Trust in the UK or the Arbor
restore you afterwards. Most big cities haveDay Foundation in the USA.
wholesale markets and most are open to theDo it Regularly
early-rising public.You could choose a gift subscription of flowers,
Do Choose Unusual Flowersdelivered on a regular basis to your loved one. You
If you're not going for quantity, then go for quality,get brownie points every time one turns up, but
and unusual ones at that. Whether you are shoppinghave only had to think about it once.
online or at the florists, if it's something you've notYou could choose this for something like a big
seen before and it takes your fancy, then that willbirthday ending in one of those zeros, and send one
add to the surprise when your beloved receives it.for every decade throughout the year. Alternatively,
Do Choose Local, Seasonal Flowersit would work really well as a wedding anniversary
This is almost the contradiction of the previous tip,gift, particularly for your 4th wedding anniversary
but if you're living with your own green goddess,which is flowers on the traditional gift list, or for a
then this will probably be a very positive thing to dobigger anniversary and apply the one for each
in her eyes. Many flowers are flown thousands ofdecade rule.
miles, having been intensively grown in far off places.Do Good
Whilst you might not get tropical blooms, you'll getWhen ordering online, there are now a number of
sustainably grown flowers that will probably lastflorists either wholly or partially owned by charities, or
longer as they will be fresher, and you'll bewho make a significant donation to a good cause.
contributing to your local economy.Like buying Fair Trade flowers, this makes everyone
Do It Fairlyfeel good, and you could also find one that is linked
Just to contradict that point, the other green route isto a charity close to your beloved's heart, from
to choose Fair Trade flowers. There are nowcancer research to animal welfare.
available from a number of florists, both on andDo it today Even if it's a bunch of daisies from the
offline. Fair Trade offers a better deal for the flowerhedgerow, its better to do it than put it off until
growers, giving them a fair price for the flowerstomorrow. Life is too short, and every day looks
which they then reinvest in their communities. So onebetter with flowers.