Save When Ordering Flowers Online or From the Florist

When ordering flowers online or from your local florist, being aware of a few facts will help you get more bouquet for your money!

Choosing to order flowers online is convenient and less intimidating than an actual visit to your local florist. Your purchase can be complete in less than 5 minutes. However, there is a price for your convenience. When visiting or phoning your local florist, you add a personal touch to your transaction and are no longer a faceless order from a floral delivery service. Your flowers are more likely to get there on time and you’ll get a more accurate picture of what the finished arrangement will look like. Finally, you will get a higher quality floral arrangement for your money. Whether you opt for the convenience of online flower delivery or the superior quality of your local florist, be sure to follow these tips.

• Order your flowers as far in advance as possible.
  If you order flowers from an online florist, a participating network florist will fulfill your order. The network is not aware of their florists’ workloads, and may send your last-minute order to a flower shop that is already running behind due to demand. This is especially true on holidays like Valentines Day. When you finalize your order earlier, your name is higher on the list. Ordering your flowers early means better quality flowers (you won’t have to deal with the last blooms on hand) and your order is delivered before others.
• You get more flowers for the same price if you visit or call the florist themselves.
  The florist creating your order is paid less for recreating a network’s floral arrangement than they would be paid if creating an arrangement for their own customers. In order to minimize costs, the florist fulfilling your online order won’t use their best flowers, and may scrimp on the quantity (as well as the quality) of flowers used.
• If ordering flowers online, do a quick search for coupon or promo codes.
  In an effort to attract customers, online florists such as 1800FLOWERS, Teleflora, FTD and others distribute online coupon codes to websites. To find these codes, search for a specific florist’s coupons (such as "Teleflora coupon codes" or "FTD promo codes"). Try several variations, as each phrase will offer different results. Not all coupon sites are updated regularly and will thus have different codes available. You may have a favorite coupon site that you bookmark and use exclusively for finding coupons and promos. Finally, sign up for florist email alerts where promo codes will be emailed to you directly on a regular basis. Adding a quick coupon or promo code in the appropriate box during your checkout process can save you a specific dollar amount, decrease your subtotal by a percentage, or even give you a free vase or half-dozen flowers.
• If regularly ordering flowers online, you may be missing out on promo offers from your online florist.
  In the online world, your purchasing habits are easily watched. Regular customers are not targeted as someone that needs to be spurred into making a purchase. Because of this, you will not receive offers sent to lure back one-time customers. Avoid this possibility and occasionally create a new profile when ordering flowers online. You will be sent coupon codes not intended for regular buyers needing no incentive to order more flowers. Masquerade as a new customer to get the most enticing offers.
• Send a different flower than roses on Valentines Day or other major holidays.
  The floral market is the same as other commodities: it is governed by supply and demand. Everyone wants a dozen roses for someone special on Valentines Day and consequently the price dramatically increases. Send a stunning orchid or a bunch of red tulips to your valentine. You will notice the lower price tag while your valentine will be pleasantly surprised at receiving something different than the usual rose bouquet.
• If ordering flowers online, use the photograph as a suggestion (rather than a blueprint) of how the actual flower arrangement will look when delivered.
  Online florists feature photos of elegant floral arrangements, bursting from their vases with blooms. If you are sending the flowers to a relative in another country and they are happy with their flowers, there is no problem. If you order for someone you work or live with and the arrangement looks nothing like what you expected when it arrives, don’t be surprised. Although the florist must use the exact vase in the photo, they often make flower substitutions when lacking some of the required blooms. The photographers play a few tricks too. Many photos of a "dozen gerbera daisies" are actually images of 15 blooms (count the buds in the photo). The photographed floral arrangements often show all the flowers pushed to the front, making the arrangement look fuller than it will be in reality. Knowing this when you order your flowers may prevent you from disappointment when they arrive.
• If you order flowers from your local florist, ask them for suggestions.
  One of the biggest benefits of using your local florist is they will be familiar with locally-grown, seasonal flowers. Not only are these choices better for the environment, they will also be less expensive. Your local florist will be able to give their advice for specific occasions and more as they get to know you and your preferences.


• Flowers from either a large network or a local florist will last longer than cheaper bouquets from the grocers or a roadside stand.
  The lifespan of a flower depends not only on the type of flower and its growing conditions, the final product also demands proper refrigeration. Flowers that are displayed in the open or near a heat source will quickly wilt. That includes bouquets of flowers near cash registers (they produce heat) and cut flowers from roadside stands. The flowers sold by street vendors have another thing going against them: the exhaust fumes from cars shorten a flower’s life span. As always, the rule still follows that "you get what you pay for". Remember though, that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get an impressive bunch of flowers!

The top online florists
See brief summaries and product samples of the top online florists.