Home & leisure
Florists
Introduction
Ordering online is a convenient way of giving flowers. We put 5 leading online florists to the test.
We wanted to see how well the delivered bouquets matched their photo and whether the delivery instructions were followed - but the main part of our assessment covered the presentation and quality of the bouquets and whether they were value for money.
Florists we assessed
This report contains assessments for the following websites and the florists they used in Wellington and Auckland:
- www.eflower.co.nz
Flowers Rediscovered (Wellington)
Matan Floral Design (Auckland)
- www.interflora.co.nz
Susan White Florist (Wellington)
Meadowlands Floral Design (Auckland)
- www.rocketflorist.co.nz
Juliette Florist (Wellington)
Avenrose Florist (Auckland)
- www.teleflora.co.nz
Best of the Bunch (Wellington)
Flower & Gift Cellar (Auckland)
- www.wildpoppies.co.nz
Wild Poppies (Wellington and Auckland)
What we found
We ordered bouquets to be delivered to a Wellington address, and the following week we ordered the same bouquets for delivery in Auckland.
We chose vibrant hand-tied bouquets in the size depicted on the website, so that we could make a fair comparison. And for each order we specified a delivery date and time (before midday).
Overall
Our expert assessor was generally pleased with the quality of the bouquets. She had checked flower prices before the assessments and considered all but one of the florists provided excellent value for money.
The Wildpoppies bouquet delivered to Wellington was a big disappointment. The florist had a second chance with an Auckland order, but failed to do noticeably better.
Ordering
This was straightforward on all the websites except www.eflower.co.nz. We placed our order for the Wellington delivery but when we got to the payment page the website wouldn't accept the order. We called the 0800 number and were told that there were problems with the site. These still hadn't been fixed when we placed our Auckland order the following week - and so both orders were finally done by phone.
eflower.co.nz told us that it had been updating its online payment and flower-selection processes. The site is temporarily closed but should be ready to take orders for Mother's Day next month.
Deliveries
Most websites passed the order to a local florist; but Wildpoppies chose to assemble the Wellington delivery in Auckland and send it by overnight courier. Big mistake. The flowers were left in a sealed carton at the door - they had no impact at all because you couldn't see them. The stems were encased in a plastic bag of water which had become full of sodden wrapping paper. And the flowers that were chosen (dahlias and roses) didn't stand up to this treatment. By the following day they were fully open and wilting.
Six bouquets arrived after midday. This just isn't good enough. Some missed the deadline by less than 30 minutes, but if you're going out for a celebration lunch they might as well be half-a-day late. (If there's no-one home the courier will leave your bouquet by the door.)
Extra costs
When you order through an online florist there's often a service charge on top of delivery. For seven of the florists, service and delivery came to $19 or more: that's around one-fifth of the total cost of the order. The two bouquets ordered through Interflora cost only $10 extra and Wildpoppies in Auckland was also cheap at $12 for a local delivery.
You can contact a florist directly and avoid online florists' handling charges - but the advantage of these websites is that you can view a wide selection and then make your choice.
The Wow! factor
Our expert was looking for bouquets that used wrapping materials, flower choice, design and colour to make an impact. She felt that, with a few exceptions, she'd be happy to receive the bouquets we ordered. The bouquets from Best of the Bunch, Juliette Florist and Flowers Rediscovered in Wellington and Matan Florist in Auckland definitely had the Wow! factor.
Materials
The flowers and foliage should be fresh so they can last for several days and the wrapping materials should display them at their best. Care instructions and flower preservative should be provided. Most florists supplied good-quality flowers and foliage but not all included care instructions or products.
Workmanship
The bouquet shouldn't fall apart when you unwrap it. And it shouldn't damage you or your clothing. So the flower stems should be spiralled and securely tied, thorns should be removed from rose stems, and the stamens removed from lilies. Stems that come into contact with water should have their foliage removed, because rotting leaves encourage bacteria and shorten the life of the bouquet. Our assessments say where florists failed to meet these standards.
Matching the photo
In most cases, the bouquets were a good match to the photo on the website. In our assessments we've listed the website and the name of the bouquet we ordered - so you can check the likeness for yourself.
Our expert assessor
Coral Macdonald (right) assessed the flowers for us. She's a floristry consultant and tutor who is a moderator and accredited assessor for New Zealand Professional Florists, and a practising florist.
Survey results
We chose vibrant hand-tied bouquets in the size depicted on the website, and we specified a delivery date and time (before midday).
www.eflower.co.nz - "Trendy Hand-Tied Bouquet"
Wellington florist used: Flowers Rediscovered
- Price: Flowers $75
- Service and delivery: $20
- Overall rating: 93%
-
Good points
Full marks for impact, value for money and workmanship. Wrapping choice created impact (so did the ivy trails).
Auckland florist used: Matan Floral Design
- Price: Flowers $75
- Service and delivery: $20
- Overall rating: 95%
-
Good points
Full marks for impact, value for money and materials. All flowers clearly visible. -
But
Flowers arrived at 12.35 pm (a note from the florist - still attached to the card - had requested delivery by midday).
www.interflora.co.nz - "Roll Wrapped Cut Flowers"
Wellington florist used: Susan White Florist
- Price: Flowers $60.50
- Service and delivery: $10
- Overall rating: 87%
-
Good points
Very good impact and value for money. Lovely design and well presented. -
But
Flowers arrived at 12.10 pm.
Auckland florist used: Meadowlands Floral Design
- Price: Flowers $60.50
- Service and delivery: $10
- Overall rating: 66%
-
Good points
Flowers used were very good value for money. -
But
A poorly designed bouquet. Flowers chosen did not work together. Roses not groomed (outer petals very damaged).
www.rocketflorist.co.nz - "A Vibrant Hand-Tied Bouquet"
Wellington florist used: Juliette Florist
- Price: Flowers $72
- Service and delivery: $23
- Overall rating: 93%
-
Good points
Full marks for impact, value for money and materials. Vibrant wrapping with smart bow and tie. -
But
Flowers arrived at 12.25 pm.
Auckland florist used: Avenrose Florist
- Price: Flowers $72
- Service and delivery: $23
- Overall rating: 76%
-
Good points
Full marks for value for money. Lovely use of texture with celosia. -
But
Leaves stapled to wrap.
www.teleflora.co.nz - "Bouquet of Contemporary Flowers (BD106)"
Wellington florist used: Best of the Bunch
- Price: Flowers $75
- Service and delivery: $20
- Overall rating: 91%
-
Good points
Full marks for impact and value for money. Vibrant colour.
Auckland florist used: Flower & Gift Cellar
- Price: Flowers $75
- Service and delivery: $20
- Overall rating: 84%
-
Good points
Full marks for workmanship. Very good value for money. A very full vibrant design. -
But
Flowers didn't arrive until 2.55 pm. No care instructions or flower preservative supplied.
www.wildpoppies.co.nz - "Burnt Orange and Red Posy"
Wellington florist used: Wildpoppies
- Price: Flowers $75
- Service and delivery: $19
- Overall rating: 47%
-
Good points
Good choice and use of colour. Similar to photo in design and style. -
But
No impact on arrival - the flowers arrived in a carton. Dahlias were wilting and roses were open and wouldn't last. No care instructions or flower preservative supplied. Not good value for money.
Auckland florist used: Wildpoppies
- Price: Flowers $75
- Service and delivery: $12
- Overall rating: 53%
-
Good points
Good colour use. -
But
Roses and lilies not groomed. Roses, gerberas and lilies did not look fresh. Flowers didn't arrive until 12.45 pm. No care instructions or flower preservative supplied. The note on the card misspelled the sender's name.
Rocket Florist problems
The bouquets by Avenrose Florist in Auckland and Juliette Florist in Wellington were excellent value for money (see survey results) - but they weren't what we ordered. There were other problems too.
No image
These two florists who received our orders through www.rocketflorist.co.nz weren't supplied with the image or the information the customer sees on the Rocket Florist website. They didn't even know that Rocket Florist was involved - the order was forwarded through Court Florist in Christchurch.
The photograph of the bouquet we ordered shows palm leaves used for dramatic effect. Neither of the bouquets in our survey used palm leaves. The website specifies a hand-tied bouquet, but Avenrose Florist received an order for a vibrant "bouquet of mixed cut flowers" and chose to present them in a "Vox" container (a water-filled box). Juliette Florist's order was for a "vibrant bouquet" with no other details.
It's not the florists' fault: it's hard to reproduce the colours and style of the bouquet shown on www.rocketflorist.co.nz if they don't know what it looks like.
Rocket says
It states on its website that the selection of flowers in the photographs may vary depending on the season and location.
High fees
The service and delivery fee of $23 for these bouquets was the highest in our survey. Avenrose Florist told us its normal charge for a local delivery was $10.
Rocket says
The other $13 covered credit card fees ($3), network costs ($5) and a $5 handling fee.
Wrong date
The Auckland delivery date was wrong as well. We wanted them delivered on Monday. Avenrose Florist said it didn't receive the faxed instructions until Sunday afternoon - and the instructions requested a morning delivery for that same day. After checking with Court Florist the flowers were eventually delivered on the Monday.
Rocket says
Each delivery has a 100 percent satisfaction, money-back guarantee.
We say
In our view Rocket Florist isn't fair on consumers or florists. Consumers are paying more than they need to and florists aren't provided with enough information to ensure consumers get what they want.
Expert tips
Tips for ordering over the phone or online
- Specify exactly what you want. If you don't want certain flowers, or if you like particular aspects of the bouquet in the photo, note that on the online order form.
- Keep a hard copy of your confirmation email.
- Check on the flowers. The person you sent them to is unlikely to complain, but you could ask them to send you a photo. If they're not what you ordered - or are in poor condition - talk to the florist. If it's a superb bouquet, thank the florist for making the gift special.
- Lilies and roses are a good choice for Mother's Day: they've been grown in cooler conditions and will last longer.
- Decide whether a bouquet or an arrangement would be more suitable. A bouquet has more impact when presented at the door. Also, you're likely to get more blooms for your money, as less of the cost is taken up by preparing a bouquet compared to an arrangement.
- An arrangement is good for someone in hospital or a rest home, as it may be difficult to find a suitable vase or container for a bouquet. Also, some people may not wish to bother with arranging flowers, or physically can't cope.
- Watering a bowl arrangement can be tricky, so ask the florist to use a generously sized bowl.
- An alternative to a bowl arrangement is a bouquet presented in a lined cardboard container (sometimes called a "vox") or a water-filled vase. There may be an extra charge for the container.
- If the recipient won't be at home when the bouquet arrives, ask for it to be delivered in a "wet pack" - the stems are encased in a water-filled plastic bag.
- Ask the florist to include care instructions and a sachet of flower preservative. Flower preservatives prolong the life of your flowers by providing nutrients, restricting microbial growth in the water and softening the water so that it moves through the stem to the flower more easily.
Tip ... for pollen stains
Stains from lily pollen are notoriously difficult to remove. If you do get a mark on your clothing, don't rub it. The best fix is to take a strip of sticky tape and apply it to the pollen while it's still loose. We tried it - it works.
If there's no sticky tape handy, take a tissue and flick the pollen away. Resist the temptation to dab at it.
Tip ... for extending the life of your bouquet
Remove blooms as they die. Not only do they look unsightly but they give off gases which may cause the other flowers to die more quickly. Every second day change the water, re-cut the stems, and add more flower preservative.
Report by Bev Frederikson