NO one wants to splash out on a bunch of Valentine’s Day flowers only to find their gift arrives broken, battered or dying.
But sadly, some bunches do arrive looking far less attractive than advertised.
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Lynsey Hope ordered six of them to find out which are most likely to put your other half in the mood for romance.
But was left disappointed by some bouquets.
So, which online retailer will deliver the best blooms?
Each bouquet was rated out of 10 for price, value for money, appearance and delivery.
Here’s how Lynsey ranked the flowers, from best to worst:
M&S: 10/10
- A Dozen Red Roses, £25, free delivery.
- Total: £25
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Lynsey says: “These looked very lacklustre on arrival, I thought they were on their way out.
“They came in a box via DPD and looked rather squashed.
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“But after putting them in water, they did pick up and looked very pretty.
“The roses had a lovely deep red colour and days later they still made me smile when I looked at them in the vase.
“They are growing on me by the day and look like a lovely, romantic gift.”
- VALUE: 10/10
- APPEARANCE: 9/10
- DELIVERY: 9/10
- OVERALL: 10/10
Interflora: 9/10
- Romantic Mixed Gift Box, £38, £7 delivery.
- Total: £45
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Lynsey says: “Beautiful flowers sure to make anyone smile on February 14 so a great choice if you’re in the mood for love.
“I was surprised when I saw them as they don’t look like their advertised photo but to be fair Interflora does state they are ‘one of a kind’ and they were very pretty.
“The box was brown rather than pink.
“Not cheap though – a pretty gift box like this will set you back £45 including delivery.”
- VALUE: 7/10
- APPEARANCE: 10/10
- DELIVERY:10/10
- OVERALL: 9/10
Moonpig: 7/10
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- The 12 Red Roses, £28, £5.99 delivery.
- Total: £33.99
Lynsey says: “More expensive than M&S but the roses were very pretty and they too, have lasted well.
“I think it would have been nice to have had a bit more greenery to pad the bouquet out, but overall, these make a lovely Valentine’s gift.”
- VALUE: 7/10
- APPEARANCE: 7/10
- DELIVERY: 9/10
- OVERALL: 7/10
Waitrose: 7/10
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- Alstroemeria & Lisianthus Bouquet, £27, £4.95 delivery.
- Total: £31.95
Lynsey says: “Beautiful flowers but they were very sparse.
“There was only around half the amount when compared to the photo on the Waitrose website and for £27 plus delivery I would have expected a few more.
“You can choose a ‘large’ option but it would cost a lot more.
“Quite a few buds are still to open so maybe they’ll look more impressive in a few days, but I was very underwhelmed when they were delivered.”
- VALUE: 7/10
- APPEARANCE: 7/10
- DELIVERY: 8/10
- OVERALL: 7/10
Funky Pigeon: 4/10
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- The Rose And Lily Love Letterbox, £25.95, plus £5 delivery.
- Total: £30.99
Lynsey says: “I’m not a fan of letter box flowers, they came out of the box looking squashed.
“Some heads were broken off and they were hard to arrange in a vase.
“Unless the person you are buying for enjoys arranging, I’d say don’t bother.
“I didn’t really like the faff. Less stems than in the photo too.”
- VALUE: 4/10
- APPEARANCE: 4/10
- DELIVERY: 8/10
- OVERALL: 4/10
eFlorist: 2/10
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- True Love Bouquet, £24.99, £5.99 delivery.
- Total: £30.98
Lynsey says: “Hard to imagine how eFlorist got this photo of their bouquet.
“Mine included six roses as per the photo but there was hardly any purple at all.
“Not great value when you consider they are only a penny cheaper than the M&S roses but you also have to pay £5.99 for delivery (M&S was free), making them more expensive.
“The best thing about these was the mini box of Lindt chocolates thrown in free.
“The bouquet didn’t spell romance at all. Very disappointing.”
- VALUE: 2/10
- APPEARANCE: 2/10
- DELIVERY: 5/10
- OVERALL: 2/10
