Ordering flowers online - what you should know

• Order as early as possible - Not only will you probably receive discounts, your arrangement will include higher quality flowers (not the last ones from the batch) and you'll have a better chance of getting your flowers delivered on time (especially on busy holidays like Valentines Day.


• Do a quick search for online coupon or promo codes - Five minutes spent searching for coupon or promo codes can save you a percentage off your subtotal, a specific dollar amount, or even get you a few stems or a vase.


• Choose a non-traditional flower on big holidays - The price of a dozen roses does increase for Valentines Day. Orchids are just as stunning though, and in less demand. Ask your florist for other suggestions.


• Buy local, seasonal flowers - In many northern climes, this can be difficult to do during the winter. Your local florist is the best way to find out about this one. See below for an image gallery of seasonal flowers.


• If you regularly order flowers online, create a new profile - No doubt about it, your online purchases are tracked. If you're already a regular customer, chances are that you won't get offers designed to lure back one-time buyers. Create a new profile and disguise yourself as a new customer to get the hottest deals.


• Sign up for online florist email listings and reward clubs. - Most online florists will send you a coupon code or special offer immediately when you sign up for their rewards clubs or email listings.


• Just go and order from the local florist instead of online. - A large floral network will pay the florist fulfilling your order less money than if you went in and bought the arrangement yourself. To make up for this lost revenue, the florist won't use their best flowers, and may scrimp on the quantity of them.

• Good florists will use seasonal blooms. Consult our chart below to see which flowers are typical for each of the four seasons and ask which blooms will be included in your arrangement. Start wondering if no seasonal blooms will be featured...


• Current trends use a single color for the palette. Arrangements consisting of different shades of the same color are much more stunning than a mix of colors and are also currently the height of floral fashion. Opt for one color - be it white, pink, red, yellow, even green!


• Avoid carnations, babies breath and fern fronds. While making appearances in most arrangements, high-end floral arrangements will not include baby's breath or ferns as fillers, nor will they include carnations. If you want to make an elegant statement, ask that these blooms and fillers not be included in your arrangement.

Why shouldn't you just pick up a bouquet of flowers from those buckets by the cashiers at the grocers? It's more convenient than going to the florist, and certainly cheaper than ordering them online. They're just as pretty and we have a nice vase at home!

Like all things, you get what you pay for. The life of your flower is affected by genetics as well as growing conditions. More importantly though, the conditions the flower is stored in will affect the life span of the bloom. A lack of proper refrigeration shortens the life of a flower and it will wilt more quickly. Heat sources further aggravate this problem, even the heat given off from the cash registers at the grocers! Car exhaust fumes also cause a more rapid deterioration of the bouquets sold by street vendors.