Bouquets in Dublin

Bouquets in Dublin: Irish-grown in season, imported the rest of the year

Some of the stems that could end up in bouquets in Dublin are grown in Ireland: Flower Farmers of Ireland, over a hundred growers including some in County Dublin, cut daffodils in spring, dahlias and roses through summer and autumn, and sunflowers until mid-autumn. Irish-grown stems remain a small share of what the trade sells, though, since most cut flowers reach the country through the Netherlands. So a bouquet here is chosen by flower and by how it travels to the door, with the season playing a smaller part.

Irish dahlias and sunflowers, and stems that travel in via Holland

Flower Farmers of Ireland brings together more than a hundred growers, among them farms in County Dublin. Through the year they cut daffodils in spring, dahlias and roses in summer and autumn, and sunflowers until the middle of autumn. That home-grown run doesn't reach the shop's own bouquets, but it marks the one gap in an otherwise imported trade.

The roses, lilies, gerberas, hydrangea, lisianthus, misty and chamomile behind most bouquets in Dublin arrive from further afield. The main route runs through Dutch auctions, and growers in Kenya, Colombia, Ecuador and the UK fill out the rest, including the Ecuadorian and French roses that anchor the range. Flowers are bought in once an order is paid for, and each bouquet is put together for that one order rather than kept ready and waiting.

What a bouquet arrives in at a Dublin door: paper, bag or planter

How a bouquet finishes its last few metres, from a courier's hands to a table, comes down to what it's wrapped in. Bouquets in kraft paper suit a doorstep handover: easy to pass from hand to hand, with the paper staying on until a vase is ready. A gift bag does the same job with handles, so it is easier to carry.

A bouquet in a planter arrives in its own container, so there's no vase to hunt down at the other end. Wrapped stems and flowers in an envelope cover the smaller, flatter formats. Dublin's wet days change little about any of this; what Dublin's wet days mean for flowers is covered separately.

Before a courier leaves, the florist photographs the finished bouquet, and the sender can ask for a change on the strength of that photo. Bouquet delivery in Dublin is free to the city centre, and the rest of the rates sit on the Delivery page.

Compliment for a thank-you, business for the office, romantic for home

A compliment or a mini bouquet suits a quick thank-you, to a host or a neighbour, where the gesture matters more than the size. Business bouquets work for a colleague, since the order goes to an office through reception, so the company name and the floor are worth including.

Romantic, delicate or stylish bouquets travel better home, to a partner in the house rather than the desk, whether that's a flat near the centre or further out towards Blackrock on the bay. Large and giant sizes are for dates that need more impact than a smaller bouquet can carry. Where none of that fits neatly, the chat is the shortcut: describe the occasion and the budget there, and a florist sends back a few options with photos and prices before anything is paid.

Flowers tied to the Irish calendar sit together under seasonal bouquets, while a bouquet built around a couple's taste rather than a date is easiest to find among romantic bouquets.