Depending on your requirements, flowers can be purchased from the following outlets:
Supermarkets
Advantages
- Inexpensive flowers
- Easy to purchase
- flowers can be returned if sub-standard
Disadvantages
- According to the individual store, the flowers may have been well looked after or ignored
- Limited range of flowers
- Foliage is extremely limited
Street flower stalls
Advantages
- Inexpensive flowers
- Easy to purchase
Disadvantages
- Often open to the elements, which can limit their life
- Wrapping options limited
- May be difficult to return flowers
- Foliage limited
Florists shop
Advantages
- Good range of flowers with long stems
- Choice of foliage often available
- Flowers can be returned if sub-standard
- Ability to send flowers easily through a relay service such as Interflora or EFlorist
- Bespoke packaging
- Service
Disadvantages
- Flowers can be slightly more expensive than buying from a stall or supermarket
Major flower markets
Advantages
- Can be less expensive
- A vast range of products with longer stems
- Good range of foliage
Disadvantages
- May have to buy in larger quantities than required
- Unless you are a regular, valued customer it may prove difficult to return substandard flowers
- You need to understand the product to get the best quality
Content reference from Judith Black Lock (Author) - Flower arranging
Buying Online
Advantages
- Easy to purchase
- Quality is usually high
- Easy delivery, sending gifts to your loved ones directly from anywhere
Disadvantages
- Limited options
- Colors may differ slightly from the original.