The best online flower delivery services to send freshly cut blooms and live plants

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The best online flower delivery services to send freshly cut blooms and live plants

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best flower delivery service

The Bouqs Co./Business Insider

  • A bouquet of freshly cut flowers is the perfect gift for your loved ones on Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, a birthday, or any day of celebration.
  • We've tested several online flower delivery services over the years to find the best ones.
  • The Bouqs Co. is our top pick with its farm-fresh flowers that are sustainably harvested and beautifully packaged.

Nothing says, "I love you!" or "Happy Birthday!" quite like a bunch of flowers. Whether it's Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, the holidays, or some other special occasion, freshly cut flowers are always a hit. They're also a wonderful way to express condolences in times of sorrow.

If you don't have the time or inclination to head over to your local florist and order a bouquet, you're in luck - online flower delivery services are positively booming.

We've researched and tested several online flower delivery services to find the best ones for different people's needs. All of our top picks offer same-day or next-day delivery on select flower arrangements and all of them are guaranteed to deliver perfect flowers every time.

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If you want farm-fresh flowers that are sustainably harvested from well-regarded farms, The Bouqs Co. is our absolute favorite. However, if you want extras like teddy bears and chocolates, 1-800-Flowers and Florists' Transworld Delivery have the best options. These two more traditional flower delivery services also offer same-day delivery - even on holidays.

We highly recommend ordering flower arrangements well in advance of any holidays like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, because you will end up with slim pickings if you wait until the last minute. You might also want to grab some chocolate while you're at it.

Here are the best online flower delivery services:

Updated on 12/14/2018 by Malarie Gokey: Added UrbanStems, a note about holiday gift guides, and our guide to the best chocolate you can buy to go with these flowers.

Read on in the slides below to learn all about our top picks. Still shopping for gifts? Check out all of Insider Picks' holiday gift guides for 2018.


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The best online flower delivery service overall

The best online flower delivery service overall
Why you'll love it: Bouqs partners with eco-friendly farmers to ensure that every bouquet is made up of the best freshly cut flowers.

If you care about sustainable farming practices, you'll love The Bouqs Co. This florist partners with eco-friendly farmers around the world to bring only the best flowers to your door. We've sent many bouquets from The Bouqs Co to friends and family, and they have always been perfect.

If you order a Farm to Table bouquet, you can rest assured that the flowers were cut on the day you placed the order. The bouquets are also shipped directly from the farm instead of being re-routed to a middleman. You can even see a picture of the farmer, a map showing where the flowers are from, and a video of the farm. Bouqs also promises that it only cuts the flowers it sells, so there aren't any cut blooms going to waste.

In addition to supporting small farms, Bouqs also works with talented local florists to make the Hand Crafted bouquets. These bouquets can even be delivered on the same day, with some blooms arriving just two hours after your order is placed. Of course, on busy holidays like Mother's Day and Valentine's Day, these bouquets may be sold out or impossible to get.

As with any flower delivery service, the more you plan ahead, the more likely your shipment will arrive on your loved one's doorstep on time. Bouqs makes it easy to see the earliest available ship date for its bouquets, too, so it's easier to figure out which bouquet will suit your timeframe.

If it's your first order, you can get 10% off when you sign in using your email address.

Pros: Eco-friendly farmers, same-day delivery on some bouquets, local florists make many of the bouquets, gorgeous flowers, lots of options

Cons: Some bouquets sell out on holidays

Shop bouquets from The Bouqs Co. for $40 and up

The best online flower delivery service for last-minute shoppers

The best online flower delivery service for last-minute shoppers
Why you'll love it: You don't have to call 1-800-Flowers anymore to get gorgeous bouquets delivered to your loved ones on the same day you ordered them.

1-800-FLOWERS may sound like a retro throwback, but the venerable flower delivery service is still transporting beautiful flower arrangements to loved ones around the country. The 40-year-old company is family owned and takes pride in delivering beautiful bouquets.

Because it's a larger company, 1-800-Flowers has hundreds of different flower arrangements and you can also get bouquets along with teddy bears or chocolates, among other things. The flowers themselves are beautiful, of course, and you have tons of options.

If you want farm fresh flowers, there's a special selection of bouquets to suit your needs. 1-800-Flowers is also offering a lot of classic roses and succulents. Some arrangements offer same-day delivery, but your choices may be limited.

If you're aiming to send flowers for a special holiday like Mother's Day or Valentine's Day, it's best to order ahead. You can order online or in the company's mobile app.

Pros: Same-day delivery on some arrangements, many choices, mobile app

Cons: Some may sell out, not as eco-friendly as some options

Shop bouquets at 1-800-Flowers for $30 and up
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The best classic online flower delivery service

The best classic online flower delivery service
Why you'll love it: Florists' Transworld Delivery sends beautiful flowers anywhere in the US with same-day delivery.

Florists' Transworld Delivery (FTD) has been delivering flowers since 1910, so the company really knows what it's doing. FTD has many different beautiful flower arrangements available, but you can also get succulents, chocolates, and other gifts delivered.

The bouquets are handmade and the flowers are carefully selected at farms before they arrive at the FTD florist's shop. Most of the arrangements come in nice vases, and you can choose how full you want the bouquet to look.

There's even a helpful section for bouquets that cost $50 or less, and you can choose from a selection of potted plants if you prefer to send a living plant instead of freshly cut blooms.

FTD offers same-day delivery of some arrangements and others come from FedEx or UPS. Of course, on big shopping days like Mother's Day and Valentine's Day, it's best to order early so you get the best blooms and service.

Although we haven't tried FTD's flower delivery yet, expert reviewers from Consumer Reports and Reviews.com rate the service highly.

Pros: Long history of quality, lots of flower arrangement options, same-day delivery

Cons: Some may sell out, not as eco-friendly as others

Shop bouquets from FTD for $27 and up

The best flower delivery service that also has live plants

The best flower delivery service that also has live plants
Why you'll love it: UrbanStems delivers gorgeous live plants or flower arrangements across the US, plus, it has subscriptions so you can give flowers all year long.

UrbanStems delivers both unique flower arrangements and live plants across the continental US with next-day delivery Tuesday through Saturday. If you happen to live in NYC or the DC metro area, you can even get same-day delivery.

As always, we recommend ordering ahead of time so your favorite bouquet doesn't go out of stock. UrbanStems lets you schedule deliveries in advance, too, so there's really no excuse.

The company also has subscription plans, so you can send flowers or plants to your loved ones all year long on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis.

UrbanStems carefully selects its flowers and plants from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms to ensure that its blooms are sustainably sourced. The farmers and in-house designers work together to craft lovely bouquets in truly unique designs. The vases and pots that house the bouquets or plants are also gorgeous.

During the holidays, you'll find festive wreaths in addition to the more traditional flower arrangements and live plants like succulents, orchids, and more.

We tried it and we loved it. The only downside is the price. Many arrangements are quite expensive.

Pros: Delivers nationwide, lovely bouquets, live plant options, subscription service is a cool idea, Rainforest Alliance Certified flowers, same-day delivery in NYC and DC, next-day delivery Tuesday through Saturday in lower 48 states

Cons: Expensive

Shop UrbanStems bouquets and live plants for $45 to $149
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Check out our guide to the best chocolate

Check out our guide to the best chocolate
The best chocolate you can buy

There is no better gift than a box of chocolates — especially when it's delivered right to your door.

Although you can pop into any pharmacy and grab a box of Russell Stover or Whitman's chocolates, you're better off shopping around to find delicious gourmet chocolates that you'll actually enjoy.

Not only do chocolates made by master chocolatiers taste better, they're also less expensive and more accessible online than you might think. You don't have to live in New York City or travel to Europe to find delicious gourmet chocolate — all you have to do is read our guide.

We've done the research and the taste testing to find the absolute best chocolates you can buy online.

Here is the best chocolate you can buy online: