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When my kids were babies, I used to loathe the term ‘self care.’ It felt like a marketing ploy to make me feel bad about myself, conjuring up images of eucalyptus-scented spa treatments and 90-minute hot yoga classes—none of which felt remotely feasible when I was barely sleeping and covered in crumbs and spit up. But now that my boys have grown, my perspective on self care has evolved as well. These days, self care may still not look like spa days or leisurely yoga, but it exists for me in the form of that fancy oak milk latte I spring for, prioritizing a nutritional wellness routine that makes me feel good inside and out, and my new personal favorite: ordering myself flowers, just because.
Flowers make me happy. They shouldn’t be reserved for Mother’s Day or a special occasion. For me, flowers are a simple, underrated form of joy. And in my house it’s a nice visual reminder that beauty and peace exist, especially when my boys are fighting over baseball cards and who gets the last strawberry popsicle.
And, because convenience is my gold standard these days, the flowers I bought had to be delivered so that all I had to do was open the box and fill a vase with water. I decided to test three of the most popular flower delivery services: The Bouqs Company, 1-800-Flowers and UrbanStems.
Let’s cut to the chase: Bouqs is our top pick.
It delivered the best and most long-lasting blooms, had the smoothest customer experience and provided the kind of elevated ‘I’m so glad I treated myself’ magic I was looking for.
Our Top Pick: Bouqs
My husband and I had a real DIY type of wedding. I realized the week prior that we should probably have some flowers scattered throughout the party we were throwing for our family and friends. When I got to our local flower shop, they had the most gorgeous and bright sunflowers, perfect for the occasion. Ever since, sunflowers have held a special place in my heart, so when perusing Bouqs, I was immediately drawn to their sunflower bouquets. Luckily, their website makes it easy to search by type of flower and I decided to go with their Deluxe Picnic bouquet, which I knew would immediately brighten up our dining table.
I had three options when ordering: $64 for the original (13 mixed stems; a classic-sized Bouq), $88 for the deluxe (26 mixed stems, double the bloom) and $119 for the grand (39 mixed stems, triple the blooms). Bouqs also offered three different vase add-on options as well, whose price ranged from $16-$27. I opted for the Deluxe with the $22 Marina vase.
When deciding which size to order, I liked that they provided the exact amount of stems. Other companies keep this number close to the cuff. I also appreciated that they are responsibly sourced and farm fresh. There’s even a section on each page that spotlights the farmer who grew a portion of the flowers I would receive.
Now back to the flowers themselves: when they arrived, the bouquet reflected what was on the Bouqs website so there was luckily, no surprise. And, the flowers were even more vibrant IRL. The color palette included white, light pink, bright yellow and salmon with an assortment of alstroemeria, roses and hypericum berries. I was grateful that the sunflowers came wrapped in a protective netting. And once removed they bloomed freely. Not only did the flowers arrive in perfect condition, but they’ve held up beautifully. The entire bouquet is still fresh, full and photo-worthy a week later.
Total price with delivery: $116.72
1-800-Flowers
I decided to order a similar bouquet so opted for the Summer Sunshine Bouquet from 1-800-Flowers. Their ordering page offers a slightly overwhelming 8 different options, from the bouquet only for $49.99 to a double bouquet with a French flower pail and candy for $95.99. I initially wanted to order a double bouquet with a clear vase for $86.99 but unfortunately, I made my way through the entire check out process only to discover that the double bouquet was not available for delivery in my area (ugh, bummer!). So I ended up deleting that product from my cart and went back to the order page, choosing the single bouquet with a pink vase for $64.99.
When digging into the 1-800-Flowers website it was immediately clear that they target customers who want to send flowers and gifts to others (not necessarily gifted to themselves) as they make it easy to sort by occasion like Summer, Birthday and Sympathy. I also noticed that unlike Bouqs, it’s unclear how many flowers you’ll actually receive so I was left wondering: what was the difference size-wise between a single and double bouquet?
The flowers arrived and included a mix of roses, sunflowers and orange lilies. While I was impressed by the vibrant colors, the quality of the flowers was a little disappointing. The orange lilies never bloomed (they wilted just a day or two after delivery) and compared to my Bouqs vase, they just look a little more droopy. A week later and they haven’t held up as well, and I anticipate I’ll need to compost them much sooner than my Bouqs flowers.
Total price with delivery: $88.74
UrbanStems
While I knew I wanted a bouquet with sunflowers, UrbanStems made finding one with a specific flower in mind a little cumbersome. With Bouqs, it’s easy to search by type of flower in the header, but with UrbanStems you first have to navigate to “Flowers” and then filter and sort your findings by “Stem type.” Once I figured that out, I decided to go with The Neon Lights, which is offered in a single classic size for $85 or the double option for $153 where you receive 2x the stems and save 10% with this larger size. Like the earlier two companies, it’s easy to add a vase (UrbanStems offers four types ranging in price from $15-$40).
I landed on the Single classic size with a green Peridot vase for $24. Like 1-800-Flowers, UrbanStems is not up front with the number of stems you’ll receive with a single so I decided to blindly trust that the bouquet would look as great as the photos on the product page.
The bouquet arrived and it looked very similar to the photos on the UrbanStems website (with a bit more greenery, in my opinion). Like Bouqs, I appreciated that the sunflowers came wrapped in protective netting. The bright bouquet consisted of purples anemone, orange roses and of course, sunflowers, as well as roses, spray roses, craspedia and bells of Ireland. The quality of the flowers was certainly higher than 1-800-Flowers and more inline with Bouqs; however, a week later, the stems are beginning to droop in ways the Bouqs stems are not.
Total price with delivery: $139.99
The Final Stem Goes to…Bouqs!
On paper, these three flower delivery services have a lot in common, like they all offer fresh flower food packets to help your blooms last longer, add on vases for an additional fee, ability to order ahead and select the specific delivery date, and Bouqs and UrbanStem each feature a convenient subscription service which I may explore in the future. And I’m happy to report that all three bouquets arrived on time and in perfect condition—no broken stems or shattered vases in sight.
While I likely won’t be ordering from 1-800-Flowers again, UrbanStems and Bouqs gave each other a run for their money. In the end, Bouqs won me over with its thoughtful customer experience and standout stems. As a busy mom, I don’t have time to second-guess my purchases, and Bouqs’ transparency—like knowing exactly how many stems you’ll get before you buy—plus its commitment to responsible sourcing gave me confidence in my choice. On top of that, the week-after photos speak for themselves.
I once considered buying myself flowers an indulgence, but now I wonder why I didn’t start doing this sooner. Bouqs makes this type of self-care easy. Treating myself adds a spark of joy, color and indulgence to my daily life, without feeling like it’s one more thing I have to manage.
