The Best Flower Delivery Services for Every Occasion

What if you didn’t send just flowers but sent flowers that turn into fruit? Via Citrus can do just that with its miniature fruit trees it can deliver. Via Citrus’ goal is to make it easier to grow your own fruit tree, even if you don’t have a yard or large space. The seedlings are all grown for about nine months before they’re shipped, so they’re not so young that they’ll wilt away during shipping but still have plenty of room to grow once you get them.

Right now, two tree types are blooming: the calamondin (a unique fruit that’s like a cross between a mandarin orange and a kumquat) and the kumquat. I got a calamondin delivered to my door, and it took just over a week after it shipped to get to my house in San Diego. My little tree wasn’t too much larger than an elaborate bouquet, and while it has just a handful of flowers, it smelled great from the moment I unboxed it. It traveled well in its little box, and the soil was still a touch damp. These little trees can thrive indoors or outdoors, but if it gets cold where you live, be ready to bring the tree inside when cold weather comes back around. —Nena Farrell

If your mother or grandmother loves the idea of plants more than the responsibility of keeping them alive, Lula’s Garden is an excellent choice for succulents. A few of us at WIRED have gifted these over the years, and they’re always a hit. The succulents arrive tucked inside a gift box that doubles as the planter, so there’s no need for repotting. The Mother’s Day Heart Garden is lovely, and it comes with a teeny water dropper. It’s a low-maintenance gift that sticks around longer than a bouquet and feels way more thoughtful.

Watching a hundred-dollar bouquet shrivel and die within five days is the definition of heartbreak. That’s why I adore Unwilted. Its bouquets look better as the years go on. The petals are made of Italian crepe paper, hand-cut, painted, and shaped by artists. The florals are also built on flexible wire stems, so you can adjust the height or spread them out.

I ordered the Peony for Your Thoughts, which is curated of three tones of peonies—ivory, pale pink, and cotton candy pink—complemented with greenery. Keep them out of direct sunlight unless you’d like a soft fade, and if you’re gifting to a perfectionist, a spritz of UV protectant spray will keep them pristine. To clean, hit them with a cool hair dryer.

UrbanStems is the kind of flower delivery service that makes you want to gift yourself bouquets more often. I first received one as a gift and loved it so much that I started using it myself. The Mother's Day Collection is designed with elegance, like the Sanctuary, a sand-toned bouquet of white roses, mini hydrangea, and snapdragon flowers. I'm also a fan of the company’s collaboration with Vogue: The Flora is a rainbow arrangement of roses, ranunculus, and anemone flowers, in a striped ceramic vase. The Brillance is a sunshine garden, and the Hope leans into monochromatic white, accented with greenery.

Most bouquets arrive in bud form and should last well over a week. UrbanStems also lets you add “thoughtful extras” like chocolate truffle boxes, candles, and organic lube. They offer same-day delivery in DC, NYC, LA, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, and Boston on orders placed before noon local time; and their subscriptions (weekly, biweekly, or monthly) start at $60 per delivery.

1-800-Flowers is the Amazon of flower delivery—in the sense that there’s almost nothing they don’t offer, including gift sets that aren’t flowers: food baskets, puzzles, and apparel (to name a few). The search filters are fun to browse; I like how they categorize their inventory by interests and hobbies. Is your partner a Disney adult? Disney’s Belle Red Roses ($70) might be the move. Are they obsessed with the late Betty White? There’s a bouquet for that.

In terms of actual flowers, my Contemporary Hot Pink Roses arrived vibrant but … leaking. This is an obvious downside of flowers shipped in water. While the variety here is unmatched, the quality is decent at best. That said, they’re one of the few services that let you personalize vases, and that’s fun. 1-800 Flowers also sells preserved Magnificent Roses, which last about a year with proper care.

Side note: A few years ago, I sent my boyfriend the Valentine’s Love Explosion Cake Gift Box. It comes with a mini red velvet cake and a pop-up of fake roses that quite literally explode out of the box. He still has the box, and you get to have some pretty solid cake.

Not everyone wants flowers. The Sill specializes in potted plants, including orchids, fruit trees, and succulents. It even offers faux plants for those with pets or who prefer low-maintenance care. I love how they carry unique seasonal finds, like a Genoa lemon tree, an olive tree, or a Texas pink pomegranate tree. The Sill also offers plant subscriptions, including a pet-friendly option for nontoxic flora.