The best options for flower delivery in NYC

Founded in August 2011, this flower delivery service crowdsources its catalogue of arrangements from local florists, so you can select from the freshest, seasonally appropriate blooms in your area. You’ll find everything from elaborate arrangements of white lilies to hand-tied bouquets, like the one pictured from The Avenue J Florist. Better still, BloomNation works with florists across all five boroughs, Long Island and other nearby communities to offer same-day hand-delivery anywhere you need it. It may be a community marketplace, but it smells a lot sweeter than eBay.

Photograph: Courtesy The Avenue J Florist/BloomNation

Nowadays, there’s an app for everything, including flower delivery. BloomThat offers just a few bouquets and bunches of flowers through their easy-to-use app to streamline the process, but make no mistake: everything is artisanal and carefully designed. Add a vase, mug or treat to upgrade your bouquet, or opt for one of the gift baskets or succulents that BloomThat offers. A handy label under each arrangement tells you the soonest it could be delivered—sometimes as soon as a few hours. All you have to do is place your order and wait for your burlap-wrapped posies to arrive. Horticultural heaven.

This eco-friendly company sources its flowers direct from farms to eliminate the middleman and guarantee your blooms start out fresher and last longer. You can also opt for an arrangement custom-designed and hand-delivered by a local florist in your area - if you’d like something with a bit more pizazz. Plus, you can subscribe to receive responsibly sourced blooms year round or buy a subscription for your flower-loving friends to enjoy. Sweet.

You won’t find any carnations or baby’s breath here: Instead of relying on generic filler flowers, Floom sources high-quality arrangements from local New York florists. Options vary by the day and zip code, but on a recent search, we found everything from a succulent terrarium to orange calla lilies inside a glass bowl. The hand-written card that accompanies every order is a nice touch, too. Accidentally forgot a major birthday and looking for somewhere that does same-day delivery? Now worries. As long as you order by 1pm, the arrangement will arrive on the recipient’s doorstep by 5pm. Phew.

Working with a tight budget and time frame? From You Flowers offers inexpensive options that can be delivered the same day, in some cases. Seriously: We’re talking under $30 for some arrangements. Though the designs can be a bit run-of-the-mill, the convenience factor certainly makes up for it. Besides, who doesn't love a classic bouquet?

The French sensibilities of founders’ Olivier Plusquellec and Louis Brunet translate into their elegantly wrapped arrangements of eco-friendly flowers. Every bouquet is hand-tied in their Chelsea studio, then packaged in a stylish purple box with a single rose on top and sent out for delivery (same-day in Manhattan and Brooklyn, next-day across the Northeast). They’ll also send you a photograph of your blooms before they go out, so you can make sure they’re exactly what you imagined. Want to add an extra touch of personalization? Ode à la Rose will also print a photo of your choice for free to send with your gift. Salute!

As the name implies, bicycles power this Manhattan and Brooklyn flower delivery company. Just choose the size of your bouquet—small, medium, large or extra-large—and a florist will create your bouquet from the seasonal flowers Petal by Pedal sources from local New York–area farms. Instagram-ready touches like mason jar vases and cards written by typewriter on wildflower-seeded paper complete the experience. Every sender gets a real-time photo of the arrangement upon delivery, too. Want to improve your arrangement skills so that you can create beautiful bouquets in your spare time? Petal by Pedal run flower workshops and cover all of the ins and outs of floral design, so you'll have a blissfully botanic home before you know it.

With 24 years of experience and a 70-person staff, this Chelsea florist knows what it takes to design arrangements with some serious wow factor. Opt for something lavish, like a canopy of white orchids, or an arrangement with lots of character, like succulents planted in a cherry red model Mustang. If you’re not sure what you want, the designer’s choice option might be your best bet. You pick the theme—romantic, modern or traditional—and the Starbright staff will do the rest.

Looking for a truly original arrangement? Stems Brooklyn will create a bespoke garden bouquet just for you. Their style tends toward rustic, unconventional designs, but you can request any feeling you want—romantic, elegant, classic, sweet. They’ll also deliver a custom flower crown that’s perfect for birthday parties, weddings and other special occasions.

The grandaddy of all online florists, Teleflora has had the corner on flower delivery for 81 years and counting. After you place an order online, the company sends it to a local florist to arrange and deliver by hand. It’s also perfect for procrastinators: As long as you place your order by 3pm, you can still get same-day delivery.

The curated selection of blooms at UrbanStems changes each month, depending on what they’re able to source from farms. Once you choose a whimsically named bouquet (the spring collection includes an arrangement honoring royal bride-to-be Meghan Markle), their in-house flower pros will cut the posies and send it out for same-day delivery. Plus, there’s no added delivery fee.