Freddie’s Flowers review: that’s my Mother’s Day present sorted!

Our Money Editor and fresh flower fan reviewed the flower delivery service offered by Freddie’s Flowers. 

I love fresh flowers in my house - whether it’s a simple bunch of tulips or daffodils, or a more impressive bouquet, there’s something about fresh flowers that just makes me feel happy. So I was very excited to review Freddie’s Flowers. 

Now I feel I need to make a bit of a disclaimer here. I am not green fingered at all - I have one real houseplant that I have managed to keep alive for eight years but that has been more luck (and intervention from my mother) than any skill or knowledge on my part. I’d class myself more ‘appreciative’ than ‘able’ when it comes to fresh flowers (and plants in general). But will Freddie’s Flowers prove Sarah-friendly and one of the best flower delivery services? 

What is Freddie’s Flowers?

Freddie’s Flowers is an online flower subscription service with sustainability at its core. Pick from a range of in-season blooms and they will be delivered to your doorstep or the doorstep of a friend or family member as a gift. You can buy one-off boxes of flowers in three different sizes; Mini, Classic or Showstopper or you can opt for a subscription that can deliver on a choice of frequencies. Frequencies range from two boxes over four weeks up to 12 boxes over 12 months. And you can skip or change or pause scheduled deliveries in your online account. Prices start from £25. So far, so simple. 

For those who like to shop sustainably, all Freddie’s Flower orders are cut to order to minimise wastage, almost all of the packaging is recyclable or biodegradable and while London deliveries are 95% emission free (made by bike or electric vehicle), national deliveries via DPD are also carbon neutral. Even the Freddie’s Flowers office and warehouse are powered by renewable energy providers

How do the flowers arrive and what do you get in the box?

My delivery from Freddie’s Flowers arrived in a cardboard box via DPD three days after the order was placed. The box was larger than my letterbox, so it was left on my doorstep, but as it was left flat (as advised on the packaging) the flowers inside were in perfect condition. 

When I opened the box, the flowers were carefully wrapped in brown paper, and there was a very handy guide explaining exactly what to do to maximise the lifespan of the flowers. I also got two packets of flower food.

The flowers were plentiful enough that I could split the bunch across two vases, but they would have looked more substantial in a single vase. Once I’d filled my vases with fresh water and added the flower food (I put one packet worth in each vase), I cut the bottom inch of the flower stems as instructed. I then split the blooms across the two vases based on similar colour or shape.

But remember, the flowers arrive as buds, so don’t expect them to look their most beautiful when you get them out of the box. 

How long did the flowers last?

Freddie’s Flowers claim that their blooms last for up to two weeks or more and this was definitely the case with my arrangement. I’d put them on a windowsill so they got plenty of sunlight (thank you, GCSE Biology), and kept them away from draughts and fruit bowls as instructed. 

The flowers bloomed over the course of about 10 days (the photo below was taken after seven days and there are still buds waiting to open) and lasted more than 14 days overall, so I felt like I really had my money’s worth. On the whole, my arrangement looked beautiful for that time, only starting to flag after about 14 days. 

However, the white roses that were included in the arrangement did seem to discolour after about five days. That may well have been user error though, while I made sure to change the water every three days, I didn’t add any more plant food after that first fill of the vase. That might also be a characteristic of white roses, but even though they discoloured a bit, they still looked beautiful.

Value for money

While fresh flowers are an expense I rarely go to for myself, I love the idea of gifting fresh blooms to my nearest and dearest. 

Prices for one off boxes range from £25 for mini bouquets, £35 for classic, up to £55 for the showstoppers, while subscription prices range from £25 for the classic arrangement up to £41 for the showstopper, with £4 delivery charges on top.

So they are more expensive than some arrangements that you might be able to buy in the supermarket, but arrangements from Freddie’s Flowers should last longer than blooms you might buy from your local supermarket or high street florist. 

According to the Freddie’s Flowers website, this is because supermarket and florist flowers go on quite a journey from when they are picked to when they are bought in the shop. They will have gone from the grower to an auction house where they are then bought by a wholesaler before being purchased by the retailer. And that’s all before they are sold to you. 

But Freddie’s Flowers orders directly from the grower which cuts out the extra steps and means they land on your doorstep much sooner. The result is you get fresher flowers for longer and better value for money.