Why M&S is the pick of the bunch for Mother’s Day flowers that last

MANY of us buy on Mother’s Day. But trying to choose between bouquets can be bewildering. And what you definitely don’t want are blooms that wilt in a couple of days.

Fortunately, help is at hand from the gardening experts at consumer organisation Which? They have revealed that a £35 Marks & Spencer offering is the best, giving their highest mark of 94 per cent to the M&S Spring Brights Large Gift Bag.

The flowers – including roses, chrysanthemums and geraniums – were described as ‘a good-quality bunch’ and ‘well-presented’. A week after being bought, the bouquet had kept its form and remained the outstanding pick.

Ceri Thomas, editor of Which? Gardening, said: ‘It’s the best of the lot and the roses are still perky.’

The experts bought ten different bouquets online. Flowers were judged on quality and condition, likeness to the photo o and description, packkaging and how they hey fared for seven days. s.

The second best bunch unch was Teleflorist’s s £29 Vibrant bouquet, scoring 81 per cent.

The worst flowers ers were from Interflora. The £32.98 bouquet described as Scented Spring Perfect Gift scored lowest with 53 per cent. The main criticisms were the poor r condition of its hyacinths and ‘gappy’ y’ presentation.

Wiggly Wigglers, a Herefordshire firm specialising in n British flowers, was second from bottom with its £34.95 Wiggly Posy, which scored just 62 per cent. The flowers, lowers, however, stood out for their ‘sweet’ fragrance.

Which? says: ‘There can be a big difference in the quality of bouquets from delivery firms, so choose carefully if you don’t want to disappoint.’

The full rankings were: Marks & Spencer £35 Spring Brights Large Gift Bag (94 per cent); Teleflorist £32 Vibrant Bouquet (81 per cent); Next £29.99 Spring Bright Bouquet (79 per cent); Lakeland £34.99 Bright Bouquet (77 per cent); Moonpig £35 Spring Tulips (73 per cent); Scilly Flowers £28 100 Scented Narcissi (70 per cent); Waitrose £35 Passionate Tulips Bouquet, a Valentine’s Day offering no longer on sale (67 per cent); Serenata £29.98 Kaleidoscope Deluxe (66 per cent); Wiggly Wigglers £34.95 Wiggly Posy (62 per cent); and Interflora £32.98 Scented Spring Perfect Gift (53 per cent).

The survey took place at the end of January and early February. All prices include delivery.