THANKS A BUNCH
Zoe Phillimore on pretty blooms to gift this Mother’s Day
Flowers on Mother’s Day is not so much a cliche but a tradition. Huge swathes of women appreciate beautiful blooms, and receiving a bouquet from your children, young or old, is always a winner, in our eyes. If you want to know where to get the best flowers this Mother’s Day, we’re here to help.
The variety of Mother’s Day flowers out there is mind-boggling. From petrol station bunches (please, just don’t) to lavish bouquets, the choice can feel a little overwhelming. But you want this to be a thoughtful gift, like a cheery hug in a vase, to thank your mum, grandmother, mother-in-law – whoever – for being wonderful.
Mother’s Day is always in spring (it falls on 19 March this year – add it to your calendars), a time when flowers are starting to pop up again, after the bleak winter months. Daffs and tulips are starting to bloom in our gardens, and it’s lovely to bring some of that colour and joy inside the house, too.
If you know what your giftee’s favourite flowers (or even colours) are, let that guide you when choosing Mother’s Day flowers. If you don’t, think about what colours and styles they have in their home – is their house filled with colour and texture? If so, get a bold bunch of flowers. If their style is more pared back or traditional, you might want to opt for something a little more toned down.
How we tested
We spent a month looking like the most popular person in our town. Our house, doorstep and vases were overflowing with blooms. What we were looking for was something that made us smile, and kept us smiling every time we looked at them. Flowers that had staying power and perfume were very much favoured, as well as those that looked impressive. As we say, we also factored in carbon footprints, where we could.
Arena Flowers loved immensely bouquet: £60, Arena Flowers
We’d heard great things about Arena Flowers from trusted sources, so we were keen to put the brand to the test. We’re pleased to say they were magnificent – our source continues to be reliable. This hand-tied bunch is absolutely teaming with flowers. You could keep it tied together, like we did, or separate the blooms, to fill several vases (one comes free with the bouquet). With lemony carnations, peach- and pink-toned roses and contrasting violet limonium, this is a bunch of flowers that is sure to wow. Any mum would be cheered by the springtime vibes they bring. They also lasted three weeks. We were very impressed and will be ordering flowers from Arena Flowers again.
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The Real Flower Company bold and beautiful bouquet: £75, Real Flowers
Holy smokes, this bouquet is bound to bowl over anyone who is lucky enough to receive it. The Real Flower Company was set up after the founder was disappointed in the lack of scented flowers available to buy. They vowed to put this right with scent-filled bouquets, and, boy, have they delivered. The company grows much of its stems in the South Downs and is a carbon-neutral and climate-positive brand. This hand-tied bouquet is a showstopper, filled with incredibly scented David Austin roses and aromatic herbs. It comes tied with huge, luxurious silky bows and arrives in a smart, recyclable box. These blooms had staying power, lasting around 13 days – filling our house with a heady rose scent, and our hearts with joy.
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Scilly Flowers 100 scented narcissi: £33, Scilly Flowers
We can’t get over how much bang for your buck you get with these flowers. A hundred stems for less than £35 – incredible. The flowers themselves are absolutely beautiful, too. They filled vase after vase in our house, turning every room into a sunshinefilled space full of happiness. Featuring just one kind of flower, it’s not hugely varied, but in these bright spring shades, we think the blooms still make a huge impact. These flowers lasted well over 10 days in a warm house, which we think is amazing. They also smelled incredible. Silly Flowers grow all their flowers in the Isles of Scilly without additional heat or light, so they have a low impact environmentally. They’re also wrapped in paper, not plastic, and arrive in a smart box, ready for you to arrange.
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Bloom & Wild the Frances Liberty bouquet: £42, Bloom & Wild
We’re big fans of Bloom & Wild, and we love that the flowers come with instructions for how to put the bouquet together in a vase. This particular bunch is a Liberty collab, inspired by the 1960 Manuela Liberty print. As such, it’s a riot of colour, with oranges and purples merging into blues and vibrant corals. Just constructing the bouquet gave us so much joy. The blooms are wrapped in Liberty-print paper, too, and have incredible staying power. They arrive on the cusp of blooming, and they were still in full flow more than two weeks later. We were so impressed. These flowers can be posted through the letterbox too, so your mum (or whoever) doesn’t have to be in when they arrive.
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If you want to send something that will really stand the test of time, how about dried flowers? They’re having more than a little bit of a moment in interiors, and are a hassle-free gift that keeps on giving. This bunch, from Hidden Botanics, is full of colour and texture, with near-neon oranges and mustardy yellows working together to make a sunshiny bouquet. There’s also a decent amount of foliage in there. Of course, these flowers pretty much last forever, so they win points there. They also come hand-tied, so you can plonk them in a vase already arranged and enjoy them forever more.
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Perhaps your mum has a type of flower she prizes above all others? In this case, Flowerbx is a fab option, as you can choose to send a single type of flower. We love this idea. As, for us, we got a huge bunch of pink fringed tulips. It was like opening a box of pure spring, and they filled about five vases of joy. This meant we could basically have a mini bunch in every corner of our home – what mum wouldn’t want that? The branding on the box makes this feel like a very sophisticated gift, too.
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Freddie’s Flowers is probably best known for its subscriptions, but you can also send bouquets as a one-off. We were the lucky recipient of its showstopper bunch, which is its bumper box of flowers. If you have a subscription to carbon-neutral Freddie’s Flowers, you can also opt to upgrade to showstoppers for one-off deliveries – great if you’re hosting a big event or want to spoil yourself. These showstoppers came in a box and were by far the most generous letterbox flowers we received.
The box comes with detailed instructions for how to arrange your flowers, and plenty of flower food. There’s also a little info about each flower included. We had fun playing florist while putting this bunch together – once we stood back to admire our work, the blooms really did make a huge impact. Packed with flowers of all different types and structural pieces, it made for a modern, interesting final display. They lasted incredibly well, too – around two weeks.
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This bouquet of white flowers oozes sophistication. Packed full of roses, carnations and alstroemerias, there’s also modern fresh foliage and plenty of incredible-smelling eucalyptus. This bunch comes as a letterbox delivery, and it’s so easy to create a brilliant bouquet, as there are so many great flowers included. The blooms also come with flower food and a guide on how to arrange the flowers. The saga bouquet has lasted really well – the blooms are still going as we type, well over a week since we received them. We think these flowers would be perfect for a modern mum who doesn’t want too much chintz.
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If you’re looking for something a little extra, Ronny Colbie is where it’s at in the floristry world. The founder used to be the lead floral designer for Soho House. The man knows his flowers. This Carlisle bouquet is a beautiful juxtaposition of bright pinks and verdant greens, with garden roses, mixed poppies and seasonal blossoms. This bouquet arrives wrapped in dark charcoal paper, which makes for a very dramatic presentation. Happily, these flowers lasted well – we got a good two weeks of life out of them. A stylish and high-quality option.
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Marks and Spencer bouquet of best wishes: £35, Marks and Spencer
How’re these for sherbet perfection? A modest bunch of flowers compared with some others on this list, it’s still super sweet. Each of the 16 stems has been picked for their symbolic meaning, making the bouquet a thoughtful gift. Roses in white, pink and peach represent admiration, while pink carnations mean gratitude. There’s also pink lisianthus for love, and lilac spray roses for good health. We think this makes such a sweet gift for mums and they’d be seriously touched if you explained the reason behind each flower too.
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The verdict
We loved Arena’s bouquet. It brought sunshine to our house for weeks, making us smile every time we walked past. It’s fit to burst with flowers, with no filler. We do acknowledge, though, that it’s at the upper end of the price bracket. If you’re looking for something a little less spenny, Scilly Flowers are brilliant in all ways (including colour) and very eco-friendly.
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