February 2007
A rose is a rose. Or not
Roses aren’t red And women might be blue if they received this bouquet from Jungle Roses. We had specified red, not yellow, and these were
past their prime.
Order roses for Sweetie, Pookie, Honeypie, or even Mom, and you want them to look perfect, especially if you’re paying up
to $128 plus delivery. But recent tests of four online flower deliverers revealed thorny issues: bruised petals, wrong colors,
and a couple of stems with no bloom at all.
How we tested. We ordered long-stemmed red roses from four companies that claim to ship overnight from central warehouses. (Big names, including FTD and 1-800-Flowers, ship from many locations or use local florists, resulting in too much variation for us to test.) And we ordered over and over--a dozen roses from each company weekly for up to six weeks.
Volunteers near our Yonkers, N.Y., headquarters received the flowers, then called a staffer who typically picked them up within a half-hour. We immediately measured and weighed the roses, trimmed their stems, and placed them in water with any accompanying flower food. We evaluated them over the next week.
What we found. All the roses came by the promised time, but as in love, you can’t always get what you want. Our rundown, from best to worst, follows. (Except as noted, blooms were up to 2 1/2 inches, with little or no fragrance; stems, about 20 inches; boxes included flower food.)
ProFlowers. Usually included baby’s breath, sometimes ferns, once a vase. In one order, one rose had no petals. Another time we got two dozen roses but no ferns or baby’s breath. Outer petals were often dark and damaged (directions say to remove them). Blooms opened within 24 hours and lasted about a week.
Hallmark. Included baby’s breath, a card, and vase. In one order, one rose had a broken stem. One week the site said it was “sold out” of red roses. Twice we saw offers for two dozen roses for the price of one. Flowers often had dark or damaged outer petals (directions say to remove them). Blooms were so tight on arrival they took two or three days to open.
Organic Bouquet. Up to 3-inch blooms. Had no baby’s breath, no flower food, no vase, but smelled nice. In one order, all roses had bruises or bent outer petals. In another, one rose had a broken stem. Blooms arrived open, were impressive on day two, and faded in three to four days.
Jungle Roses. Stems 30 inches or longer. The elegant box hid problems. The first week we were told red roses were sold out. We ordered pink; the box said “pink” but held red. (One stem had no petals.) Another week, we ordered red roses, the box said “red” but held yellow. When we complained (phone tag took most of a day), the company sent replacement roses plus other flowers. Several orders had leaves with dark spots. Bloom life ranged from a few days to more than a week.
CR’s take. Consider ordering from a florist near the recipient (check the Web). Among rated companies, try ProFlowers, a good value, or Hallmark, which supplies a vase. Companies use FedEx, UPS, or DHL.
How we tested. We ordered long-stemmed red roses from four companies that claim to ship overnight from central warehouses. (Big names, including FTD and 1-800-Flowers, ship from many locations or use local florists, resulting in too much variation for us to test.) And we ordered over and over--a dozen roses from each company weekly for up to six weeks.
Volunteers near our Yonkers, N.Y., headquarters received the flowers, then called a staffer who typically picked them up within a half-hour. We immediately measured and weighed the roses, trimmed their stems, and placed them in water with any accompanying flower food. We evaluated them over the next week.
What we found. All the roses came by the promised time, but as in love, you can’t always get what you want. Our rundown, from best to worst, follows. (Except as noted, blooms were up to 2 1/2 inches, with little or no fragrance; stems, about 20 inches; boxes included flower food.)
ProFlowers. Usually included baby’s breath, sometimes ferns, once a vase. In one order, one rose had no petals. Another time we got two dozen roses but no ferns or baby’s breath. Outer petals were often dark and damaged (directions say to remove them). Blooms opened within 24 hours and lasted about a week.
Hallmark. Included baby’s breath, a card, and vase. In one order, one rose had a broken stem. One week the site said it was “sold out” of red roses. Twice we saw offers for two dozen roses for the price of one. Flowers often had dark or damaged outer petals (directions say to remove them). Blooms were so tight on arrival they took two or three days to open.
Organic Bouquet. Up to 3-inch blooms. Had no baby’s breath, no flower food, no vase, but smelled nice. In one order, all roses had bruises or bent outer petals. In another, one rose had a broken stem. Blooms arrived open, were impressive on day two, and faded in three to four days.
Jungle Roses. Stems 30 inches or longer. The elegant box hid problems. The first week we were told red roses were sold out. We ordered pink; the box said “pink” but held red. (One stem had no petals.) Another week, we ordered red roses, the box said “red” but held yellow. When we complained (phone tag took most of a day), the company sent replacement roses plus other flowers. Several orders had leaves with dark spots. Bloom life ranged from a few days to more than a week.
CR’s take. Consider ordering from a florist near the recipient (check the Web). Among rated companies, try ProFlowers, a good value, or Hallmark, which supplies a vase. Companies use FedEx, UPS, or DHL.
