Tips and recommendations when choosing your flowers for delivery

We sometimes get customers coming into our store or calling us and wanting to send flowers but have no idea of what to send. Or we also get asked if they should send a bouquet of flowers or in a box or a vase.

To answer the latter question, for just pure impact and value, we always recommend getting a bouquet as it will be bigger in size and more impactful. This is simply because when doing a bouquet, a majority of the budget is spent on the flowers and not needing a box, floral foam or vase. The flowers will not need to be cut down for an arrangement in a box or vase which will mean the flowers will keep its length, so the overall size of the bouquet is much bigger when it is all wrapped up. We believe the wrapping really sets the scene for the bouquet providing it with a gorgeous frame and presentation for the flowers. It is also more the traditional and classic way of giving flowers which we love, and think is quite romantic when you see a women carrying a bouquet of beautiful on the street. The wrapping is a big part of the bouquet, and it also exciting for the recipient to open the flowers and put them into a vase and enjoy them at home.

The times we would recommend a box or vase is when you think the recipient does not have a vase or vessel for the flowers so the flowers will have a water source on arrival. This is particular the case for when sending flowers to a hospital when it is unlikely there will be vases available. We do further recommend a vase over a box as it will last longer as the flowers are directly in water instead of floral foam. When the flowers are in a vase, they can also be easily be given a fresh cut and put into a fresh water.

The times we recommend flowers in a box are for sympathy occasions or one of our hatboxes. Boxes are a bit more old-school, but the hatboxes are more of a recent trend even thought is not as new anymore and provide a fun way to sending flowers particularly when you can customise it with your own label.

Answering the question of what flowers to send we would normally first ask what the occasion is or ask what the occasion may be, what colours or tones they like or what the budget may be. The occasion or reason for sending the flowers will determine the colour tones or the vessel it may go in. For example, when sending flowers or a Sympathy occasion, the first thought is sending in whites and greens or something soft like pastels. Customers may sometimes go with a bright bunch when it is more seen as a celebration of life than a sad event. Sending Sympathy flowers can also be different for the funeral service or to someone’s house or office. When sending flowers for a funeral service, it can either be in a floral wreath or sheath which are also very traditional, but you can send bouquets and arrangements. If the flowers are specifically for the coffin, then a casket spray would be suitable as the vessel is short and long so it can be easily placed on top of the coffin. We sometimes get customers requesting the colours of their favourite footy team or work brand colours. When ordering for a casket for a funeral service, we would recommend ordering in advance to ensure we can source the flower in time as there are a lot of flowers used and take no longer to make.

In times, of celebration like a birthday or an achievement, we would recommend something with colour and bright. Depending on the age, for someone younger, we may go something like our Pink Seasonal posy or a Barbie Dreambox which are more fun, playful for the younger generation. For someone more mature or a refine style, we would normally recommend something more Sculptural or with interesting flowers. We would recommend our Best in Show Designer Choice where we would pick the best in season, and the budget will allow for more high-end pieces and interesting flowers like fancy Banksias or Cymbidium Orchids. These can have great texture and colour but also are very long lasting and will look great with other seasonal flowers.

When celebrating a newborn, customers are typically going with something in pink or blue tones. We do have several arrangements for a newborn baby girl like our Princess Bubblegum or Fifty Shades of Pink and for newborn baby boy, we have our best seller Boy Wonder and Dreamboat which feature seasonal blue flowers like Delphiniums complimented with seasonal blooms.  Boxed or vase arrangements are perfect for new busy Mums and Dads when they have more to worry about than a vase or taking care of flowers.

When sending a simple thank you a nice little gesture, we would normally recommend something small in budget like a posy or a bunch of seasonal favourites like Ranunculus, Daffodils, Tulips or Natives. These are perfect just to show someone your gratitude or appreciation and is great to liven up their home.

Now what flowers or styles do we recommend to our customers? The first thing we ask is what is the occasion for the flowers for. If they say it is for a romantic occasion or anniversary, we usually recommend roses or a bouquet in a deeper moody colour or the traditional red. For a first date or something relatively new, we wouldn’t recommend a large budget as you would typically need room to go up for more significant milestones. In the last few years, we have gotten more customers from a Lebanese or Turkish background where they require very large extravagant bouquets which is part of the culture go give as part of the proposal. For these occasions, they typically want size and volume and Wow factor.

When customers are wanting something long lasting, the first thing we think of are Natives and Orchids which are normally widely known to be quite hardy. We have a range of bouquets and arrangement for both Natives and Orchids as they are very popular for that reason. Other long-lasting flowers are Chrysanthemum Disbuds which are featured in a lot of our bouquets and arrangements which are also great for the volume and colours.

Also contrary to what most people believe for long lasting flowers are roses. We source our flowers as fresh as we can from our suppliers and we have been told by customers they can last as long as 4 weeks. This does require giving them some love like giving it a fresh cut and changing the water frequently, but we see roses tend to last longer than other flowers. Now the last thing and probably the most important thing is that we ask our customers is the budget that they want to work. Higher budgets will obviously allow for more flowers and more choice when it comes to using different varieties. That is not to say that you need to spend big bucks just to get something, but we certainly be smarter on how you use the budget. For example, flowers like Lily of the Valley or Astilbe which are big in size and are very expensive as they are hard to get and seasonal. Then you have flowers like Chrysanthemums or Hydrangeas in peak season which provide a lot of volume and go a long way in making your bouquet looking big and impactful. Then you have roses which are a must for any bouquet to feel premium, and they are so many different varieties the same way there are different cuts of steak. For smaller budgets, we would recommend a posy or bouquet and stay away from expensive blooms like Orchids and Roses and be less fussy on particular flower types. For higher budgets, we like to use lots of Ecuadorean roses and Phalaenopsis Orchids which are so impactful and will make any arrangement feel super premium which is why a lot of wedding bouquets have these flowers. In the end, it is really up to the customer and sometimes it just easier to show them examples on our website and they can see visually what they like in terms of colour, size and style. We understand everyone have their own preferences, but we always love to help when choosing your flowers for your special someone.sic, romantic red rose bouquets to more sophisticated and contemporary arrangements.