FTD sources bouquets from local florists—but are its flowers any good? (2024)

The tradition of giving flowers is timeless for a reason. It's a custom that can be used on any occasion, whether you're extending condolences, celebrating an anniversary, wishing someone well, or simply expressing your love. It's also one of the easiest things to gift: Nowadays, you don't even have to leave your house to put a smile on a loved one's face, thanks to the abundance of online flower delivery services.

Through our reviews of services like 1-800-Flowers and Bloomsybox, we've learned the ins and outs of testing floral arrangements—considering selection, ease of ordering, delivery, freshness, and quality—all to determine which companies you can actually depend on.

This time around, we're putting FTD (and its subsidiary, ProFlowers to the test. We sent the same two bouquets to three team members located all over the country, and found out just how similar the arrangements that showed up at each of our doors were. Ahead, read our in-depth FTD flower delivery review to see if these blooms actually lived up to the gorgeous pictures on its site.

What is FTD?

FTD (Florists' Transworld Delivery) is an online flower delivery service that's been in business since 1910. It offers delivery to all 50 states and more than 150 countries, and sources its bouquets from local florists contracted by FTD, allowing for same-day and next-day flower delivery in most areas. Based on your location and flower availability, arrangements and experiences can vary depending on which florist fulfills your order.

FTD is also the parent company of ProFlowers, so you may find the same bouquets available on either website, although FTD has the larger selection. If you choose to order a no-vase arrangement (these are usually sent from a central warehouse and come tightly packed in a box), your packaging may be from either company.

Shipping starts at $17.99 on FTD (the shipping fee is $14.99 itself, with an additional $2.99 fee for "care and handling"), but will vary based on flower selection and delivery date. Most orders placed before 2 p.m. local time qualify for same-day delivery. You can also choose from bouquets labeled as "Flowers Delivered Same Day" under the "Flowers" tab.

How do you order flowers from FTD?

FTD offers a number of arrangements for every occasion in addition to plants, gift baskets, chocolates and more. On its homepage, simply fill in the delivery date and zip code, and it will populate which options are available in your area. According to the website, 113 bouquets were available for next-day delivery in my location (Cambridge, MA), which dropped to 51 when opting for same-day delivery. From there, it's a smooth step-by-step process to choose a bouquet based on the pictures, select the size of the arrangement, input the recipient's address, and finally your payment information.

All-in-all, placing an order takes just a few minutes once you know what you want, just note that shipping costs, taxes, and fees are not calculated until the last stage of checkout. Not all arrangements are available for same-day or next-day delivery, so be sure to select the correct delivery date when prompted.

How we tested FTD flower deliveries

In order to properly assess both FTD and ProFlowers, we ordered the same bouquet from a local florist, delivered to two staff members in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Orlando, Florida: the "Deluxe" version of the "Best Day Bouquet" ($77). We also wanted to compare the quality of a florist arrangement to boxed flowers, so we ordered the "No vase" version of the "Smiles and Sunshine Bouquet" ($40), delivered to two staff members in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Nashville, Tennessee.

Note that we wanted both bouquets to go to Cambridge and Nashville, but FTD did not deliver florist bouquets to our editor's address in Tennessee. We had to bring in a third tester in Florida to properly test FTD.

Each of us evaluated the bouquets based on the delivery, packaging, freshness upon arrival, and overall lifespan of the flowers. We also wanted to see how the florist arrangements varied between geographic regions, which is why we had three staff members in different cities involved in the testing process. We specifically took note of how each bouquet compared to its online photos, if there were any damaged or wilting flowers, chipped vases, or flower substitutions. We also payed attention to any care instructions, as well as the inclusion of flower food.

Cambridge, Massachusetts results:

The first bouquet I received on my doorstep was the "Best Day" bouquet. The arrangement was dropped off promptly around 11 a.m. on the delivery day we requested. The florist rang the doorbell to notify me before leaving the vase of flowers on my door mat to remain COVID-safe. The flowers I received were not as full as the picture on FTD's website and were not in the same vase, but were fresh, vibrant and in full bloom. One thing I immediately noticed was that my bouquet did not contain any sunflower (alas, my favorite flower), but included yellow daisies instead. Regardless, my bouquet was lovely, albeit smaller than I expected, and lasted me just under two weeks—however the snapdragon started wilting after about a week.

Next up was the boxed "Smiles and Sunshine" bouquet, which was also dropped on my doorstep around midday, right on schedule. These flowers arrived in bud stage, tightly packaged in cardboard and plastic wrapping, secured at the base with a dampened foam to keep them fresh in transit. They came with both flower food and an instructional care card, directing me to trim the stems, feed, and replace their water every few days. I found this bouquet to be incredibly full and fresh with its array of multi-colored roses, however a few of my lilies remained creased and bent out of shape even after letting the flowers settle in a vase. These flowers lasted me close to two and a half weeks, and I found them to be more attractive and full of life than the florist arrangement.

Orlando, Florida results:

My coworker, Rachel Murphy, also received the same "Best Day" bouquet for testing. According to her, delivery was seamless, with the flowers left right at her doorstep. As for quality, she notes the flowers arrived fresh with a few unopened blooms, however they didn't last as long as she expected—only about five days.

"Although it was a pretty arrangement, it's got a lot more greenery and less flowers than what the product page displays," she notes. All-together, the bouquet she received fell short of her expectations, and didn't match the photo on the site as well as mine did. Her bouquet (as pictured) contained sunflowers but no Peruvian lilies, resulting in less variation. She claims for the near-$80 price tag, "you're better off just ordering from a local shop."

Nashville, Tennessee results:

My other colleague, Kate Ellsworth, received the boxed "no vase" version of the "Smiles and Sunshine" bouquet. Kate claims these flowers were "stunningly gorgeous" adding, "these were the best set of flowers I've tested. They came in a box tightly packaged and bloomed enough to look good right out of the box. Over the next few days they just got more gorgeous. It was my favorite bouquet I received."

Although wowed by their quality, she felt that there was a lot of extra waste—cardboard, plastic wrap, and care tags—from the boxed flowers. I definitely agree with her there. Since the no-vase flowers have to be protected during shipping, you wind up with a lot of excess trash and recycling. It's certainly not as eco-friendly an option as contacting a local florist directly.

How long did FTD flowers last?

Based on our testing, it's hard to come up with a determination on how your FTD arrangement will age over time; a week or two is a safe assumption, however. While Kate and I both received bouquets that lasted two weeks, Rachel wasn't as lucky, with hers wilting in under a week. Remember that there's a ton of factors that can affect the lifespan of your blooms, from what types of flowers are in your bouquet to the process of cutting the stems to how often you change the water.

We will say that the boxed varieties of flowers we ordered seemed to outlast their arranged counterparts—but there's always the risk of a few crushed blooms, should you go that route.

Would you order FTD again?

FTD makes it easier than ever to order flowers with just a few clicks and ship them virtually anywhere, especially when you're in a pinch. Forgot Mom's birthday? Just opt for a same-day or next-day shipment, and you're covered. That said, your experience directly hinges upon the florist who fills your order as well as what flowers are in season, which means there's no guarantee that your arrangement will look exactly as advertised.

You also have to be willing to shell out upwards of $60 for the convenience of not having to research local florists in the delivery area and call around to get estimates.

Still, if you're in need of a grand gesture at the last-minute, we think FTD is a solid option overall—just remember, like people, they're unique! No two bouquets will look exactly the same.

Shop FTD bouquets from $40

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.