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I’m a big fan of gifting flowers — both to others and to myself. They instantly brighten any room and are a welcome contrast to screen life at a time when workspaces and living spaces are one and the same. And, thanks to modern online florists, ordering stunning, fresh blooms is easier than ever before. What you see on these websites and apps is exactly what you’re gifting (or getting for yourself), so you can choose the bud bundle that best fits the style you’re looking for. Below, you’ll find our favorite online florists to keep on your digital speed dial, plus some recommendations we love for holiday shopping.
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Where they deliver: Contactless delivery right to your doorstep in the 48 contiguous states. Select products can’t be shipped to California, Arizona, Florida, and Texas. Orders over $100 ship for free.
Pricing: Prices start as low as $29.99 for succulents and go up to $152.99 for larger potted plants.
Cool features: Whether you have pets at home or your apartment gets little to no sunlight, the expertly curated sections make plant shopping a whole lot easier.
Great for: Anyone looking to bring more greenery indoors, aspiring plant parents, and thoughtful “just because” gifts for loved ones who could do with a sweet pick-me-up.
Specializes in: Vibrant, stylish, cut-to-order bouquets and plants.
Where they deliver: Nationwide (excluding Alaska and Hawaii), with same-day delivery available in over 20 cities, like New York and Los Angeles.
Pricing: One-time purchases start under $45 for bouquets and plants. Three subscription plans are available starting at $55 with options to deliver weekly, biweekly, or monthly.
Cool features: Stems are sourced directly from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms and cut fresh daily. UrbanStems also has a collaboration with Vogue, offering limited-edition arrangements designed by Vogue editors each season.
Great for: Everyday flower gifting for friends, family, and yourself.
Specializes in: Potted plants and succulent arrangements in design-forward containers. The Sill also now sells orchids!
Where they deliver: The lower 48 states. Same-day delivery is not available, but there is a 30-day return window in case your plant arrives damaged or dead. You can also shop directly in-store at locations in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, or San Francisco.
Cool features: You can purchase starter collections around themes like beginner, pet-friendly, and low-light. The Sill also divides plants into helpful categories like size and light needs and offers users tons of information on plant care for newbies and gardeners who need a refresher.
Great for: Coworkers, friends who have recently moved, and people allergic to flowers.
Specializes in: Flowers, plants, and gourmet gift baskets for every holiday, life event, and occasion.
Where they deliver: ProFlowers ships nationwide, with same-day delivery available through partner florists in your area.
Pricing: Bouquets start at $50 for a small arrangement and go up to $225 for larger sizes.
Great for: Literally any occasion, from milestone birthdays to funeral sprays to Mardi Gras.
Specializes in: Stems from sustainably minded farms, which are shipped the day they’re cut to ensure freshness. They also offer same-day bouquet deliveries from local, approved florists in certain zip codes.
Where they deliver: Nationwide in all 50 states.
Pricing: Plants and one-time arrangements start at $44, with a delivery fee. Subscriptions start at $40 and can be delivered weekly, biweekly, monthly, or bimonthly.
Cool features: Transparent pricing and no cheesy up-sells (um, no thanks on the teddy bears). For more modern add-ons, check out their gift bundles.
Great for: Farmer’s market-style centerpieces, unfussy hostess gifts, and chic holiday accents.
Specializes in: Potted plants of all shapes and sizes, as well as propagation kits.
Where they deliver: The 48 contiguous states.
Pricing: Starts at $35 for most small-sized varieties and goes up to $450 for extra-large plants like fiddle leaf figs.
Cool features: Bloomscape offers a ton of plant parent support, including a shop for plant care and accessories, plant guides and tips, and expert advice from a Plant Mom and her team.
Great for: Plant beginners, longer-lasting gifts, and people allergic to flowers.
Specializes in: This digital shop specializes in fresh and preserved roses, as well as other small gifting elements, like chocolate and teddy bears.
Where they deliver: Same-day delivery is available in NYC and San Diego from Monday through Friday. Next-day delivery is available throughout the U.S. Tuesday through Saturday. International delivery is available in the U.K., Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Pricing: Gift boxes range from $49 for a box of six bright pink roses to $199 for a box of 50 red roses.
Cool features: Gift sets are also available, pairing roses with Godiva chocolates.
Great for: Gifts that impress and deliver on romance.
Specializes in: Arrangements for quite literally any occasion, as well as gourmet gift baskets.
Where they deliver: 1-800-Flowers ships nationwide, with same-day delivery available through partner florists in your area.
Pricing: Bouquets start at $24.99 for a small size, going up to $229.99 for larger arrangements.
Cool features: It’s not just flowers here — you can also send baskets full of gourmet food, wine, coffee, and even self-care products.
Great for: Those who want to pull out all the stops on a gorgeous arrangement, anyone who wants very specific options.
Specializes in: Gorgeous, burlap-wrapped seasonal blooms sourced from local farmers in your area, plus box deliveries so you can create your own arrangement.
Where they deliver: Farmgirl Flowers ships nationwide to the lower 48 states, with same-day delivery in the San Francisco Bay area.
Pricing: Arrangements start at $59 and can be purchased one time or as a subscription (delivered weekly, biweekly, or monthly).
Cool features: Gift sets that include sweets, candles, and other self-care goodies. The Big Box is a great option for someone who wants to flex their creative muscles and arrange the blooms themselves.
Great for: Gifting for special holidays and birthdays, the amateur floral arranger.
Specializes in: Hand-crafted floral arrangements that are available for same-day delivery, as well as gift baskets to celebrate special occasions and everyday moments.
Where they deliver: Nationwide and internationally.
Pricing: Small bouquets start at $35 and go up to $210 for larger sizes.
Cool features: Filters that make it easy to shop the extensive range of bouquets, plants, and gift baskets. Finding desk plants, pink flowers, and Kosher gift baskets has never been easier.
Great for: Those looking for the perfect gift to mark a special occasion or just let someone know you’re thinking of them.
Specializes in: Sophisticated, monochromatic bunches of 25 roses in a Parisian-inspired hatbox.
Where they deliver: Landeau doesn’t ship their bouquets, so delivery and pickup are only available in New York City, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Also in Vancouver, Kelowna, and Toronto at givelandeau.ca.
Pricing: Starts at $249 plus a delivery charge.
Cool features: They offer four curated bouquets, all roses. You won’t get bogged down with choices, so it’s easy to order.
Great for: Your most stylish or minimalistic friend.
Specializes in: Fresh succulents delivered in a simple gift box that doubles as a planter.
Where they deliver: Shipping nationwide (excluding Alaska and Hawaii), with hand-delivery available in Los Angeles. Square and premium gardens are only available in Los Angeles.
Pricing: Gardens start at $25, with premium gardens for $105-$135.
Cool features: The differently-sized gift box gardens can be customized with a paper sleeve to fit the occasion.
Great for: Thoughtful thank you gifts and “just because” occasions.
Sarah writes about all things shopping for Apartment Therapy, The Kitchn, and Cubby helping you find the best deals and the best products for you and your home. A Brooklyn-born Jersey Girl, she loves a good playlist, a good bagel, and her family (but not necessarily in that order).
Gardening can take your mind off of daily stresses. (happy_finch, Getty Images)
Benefits of Backyard Gardening
The positive impacts of gardening are almost endless, especially when it comes to our mental and physical health. These benefits fall into two main categories: “active” and “passive.”
Active benefits are all about getting to work and doing something in your garden, helping you clear your mind while getting your hands dirty. Gardening, and similar physical activity outside, does your body wonders.
Studies show spending more time outdoors leads to fewer long-term health problems, according to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. These benefits include improved heart health, flexibility, strength, and dexterity — all leading to better mental health.
Contrarily, backyard gardening’s passive benefits are about simply being in nature or outdoor space. It provides a positive distraction from stresses in your life.
Many studies show just being in nature has a positive impact on our stress levels and brain chemistry, according to the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley.
Backyard gardening also helps you “feel alive,” letting you take your mind off work while giving you a new sense of purpose outside of the daily grind.
Growing your own vegetables gives you the personal satisfaction of a job well done. (Ivonne Wierink, Adobe Stock Photos)
Backyard Gardening By Your Senses
The goal of backyard gardening is to create a yard and garden that reflect how you want to live outside. Doug recommends designing your mental health garden according to your five senses.
Sight: The simple sight of a breathtaking array of plants, an arrangement of your favorite flowers, or interesting objects in your garden is bound to boost your mood.
Taste: Growing your own fruits, veggies and herbs will provide you an incredibly rewarding harvest, in more ways than one. Not only are you able to enjoy the produce you have grown for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but you get the personal satisfaction of a job well done.
Hearing: Creating habitats for birds and other animals will add the sounds of nature to help you relax in your garden. Also, add wind chimes and water features that’ll produce soothing, stress-relieving sounds.
Touch: From the light, feathery textures of flower petals, to the rough surfaces of tree bark or bush stems, touch goes a long way in giving you a deeper sense of connection to your garden. This all ties back to a combination of active and passive benefits of backyard gardening, helping you establish a deeper sense of purpose.
Smell: Certain smells can bring back forgotten, happy memories. Add fragrant flowers and herbs to your garden bed, so you can literally “stop to smell the roses.”
Create pathways that lead to mini-spaces for a relaxing retreat. (Elena Photo via Canva)
Tips for Designing Your Mental Health Garden
When designing a garden, create “rooms” connected by meandering paths that let you get away from it all. These rooms provide mini spaces that you can retreat to, so you can rest, unwind, and feel restored.
However, your outdoor spaces don’t always need to be quiet and sedentary. If you enjoy being outside with others, creating gathering spaces in your yard is a great idea. And, if you have an outdoor hobby like exercising, painting, or writing, you can create spaces to do just that.
You shouldn’t get ahead of yourself and start creating a ginormous garden right off the bat. Start small, simple, and stress-free, and grow your garden out from there. Pick easy-to-grow plants that require little maintenance or start a simple vegetable garden in a raised bed.
So, start backyard gardening today — your mental health will be better off because of it.
Looking for more tips to breathe new life into your outdoor spaces? Check out Exmark’s Done-In-A-Weekend project series, featuring simple, budget-friendly DIY projects.
Have you ever heard of double tulips? No? Neither had I until very recently. But I am super happy to have discovered this breath-taking variety of tulip. Lately, I’ve started to think about getting some flowers for my garden. I’d really like to add some colour and excitement to what is currently a very low-maintenance and functional space.
Back in lockdown two, or was it lockdown three? Can anyone even remember how many lockdowns there were? It all feels like a surreal dream now, doesn’t it? Anyway, during one of the lockdowns, my husband built a pair of huge planters in our garden at the end of the deck. The idea was to plant them full of either vegetables or flowers.
My husband wants to grow vegetables, but I just know we don’t have the time or patience for that (we tried during the lockdowns and it was not very successful). So I’m leaning towards flowers and I’ve even started to research which ones I think could work well for us.
We’d need something super low-maintenance, that doesn’t require a lot of care from me. You all know my track record with plants so it’s safe to assume that I will need to adopt the same strategy with flowers. I need something that will basically take care of itself and preferably something that will come back year after year without too much intervention from me.
The tulips in the community garden in Totnes in full bloom
Lately, I have been thinking about tulips. It started when the tulips in the small community garden across the road from my coworking space started to bloom. The garden became a riot of colour (as you can see in this reel I made for Instagram) and I found myself often sitting on the bench just to admire these beautifully bold flowers, which I knew practically nothing about.
Just looking at them made me feel so much lighter and happier so I decided to do some reach and work out if there was any chance that I would be able to have tulips in our garden. It was also around this time that I received an email from Dutch Grown all about double tulips, which I hadn’t heard of. But as soon as I saw the pictures I was smitten and I knew that these show-stopping tulips were for me.
So let’s take a little look at some of the questions I had about this beautiful variety and what I learned along the way.
What are double tulips?
Snow Crystal tulips
Unlike the iconic image of a tulip with six large petals that we are all so accustomed to seeing, double tulips have extra layers of petals which gives them a very different look. They have large, long-lasting, peony-like flowers that can appear fluffy and ruffled, or dense and demure.
Just like regular tulips, double tulips come in a wide range of colours, from soft pinks to vibrant oranges to deep purples. Unlike regular tulips, double tulips are quite large, with stems that can reach up to 20” and blooms that easily measure 4” across.
When to plant tulip bulbs?
When the nights are getting colder and there’s a hint of pumpkin spice in the air, it’s time to get out the gardening gear. Like all tulips, double tulips need to be planted in autumn. In the UK, it is recommended that you plant your bulbs in October and November. However, you can get away with doing this as late as December or January and still have them bloom in spring.
Where to plant tulip bulbs?
Left: Monte Carlo tulips | Right: Orange Princess tulips
Double tulips should be planted in a sunny, sheltered spot where they will be protected from wind and rain. As with all flower bulbs, you need to make sure that the soil is well-draining. Dig a hole that’s three times as deep as the bulbs, ideally 10-15cms deep, then cover with soil and water well. Double tulips look best in groups of at least 10-15 tulips but make sure you plant each bulb 10-15cms apart.
Are double tulips perennials?
Some tulip bulbs only bloom for one year (annuals), while others come back every year (perennials). Unfortunately, double tulips are not perennials, meaning you’ll have to plant new ones every year. But that does have its advantages since it means that every year you get to choose another combination of old favourites and exciting newcomers from the large collection of double tulips.
When do double tulips bloom?
Left: Orange Princess tulips | Right: Blue Wow tulips
Double tulips are planted in autumn and generally need 8 to 16 weeks before they start to sprout. A flowering plant will then appear within 15 to 30 days. Tulips don’t tend to bloom for very long sadly and this too depends on the conditions. If they have had a cool spring they can bloom for 1-2 weeks, but if it’s been quite warm, the flowers may only last a few days.
You can prolong the bloom of tulips but choosing varieties that bloom at different times and this way you can get a good few weeks of flowers before they die. Some double tulips bloom early in spring, while others are late bloomers so by choosing a variety of double tulip bulbs you can really stretch the flowing period.
What to do once the tulips die?
Tulips generally bloom from March to May and once they have flowered they will die off. As soon as the flower has dropped all its petals, the seed pod has turned brown and the foliage has started to die back and turned brown then you should prune your tulips back.
Once the double tulips have died, you will, unfortunately, need to plant more bulbs if you want to see the flowers return next year.
Abba tulips
Where can you buy double tulips?
If you believe that more is more and you would like your spring garden to reflect that, DutchGrown is the perfect place to buy your double tulips. Their top-size bulbs, grown in prime Dutch soil guarantee a late spring show like no other. A few clicks on their website and your order is placed. They’ll make sure, your flower bulbs will arrive at the correct planting time in autumn.
So it’s easy to see why your garden needs these breathtaking flowers. They may not be in bloom for long but when they are they add drama, colour and a sense of celebration to the garden.
What do you think? Have you ever planted double tulips in your garden? If not, would you give it a go? Let me know in the comments.
Olivia Harvey is a freelance writer and award-winning scriptwriter from outside Boston, Massachusetts. She’s a big fan of scented candles, getting dressed up, and the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley. You can make sure she’s doing okay via Instagram and/or Twitter.
