Here are the hottest floral trends so you can buy yourself flowers

Since it landed in January, Miley Cyrus’s break-up anthem Flowers, with its self-care lyrics about taking yourself dancing and buying yourself blooms, has been smashing records.

Not only did it garner 105 million listens in the first five days after release, it has acted like Miracle-Gro on flower sales too, with one supermarket chain reporting a 52% increase in sales.

Independent florists have seen a similar uptick in self-gifting. ‘We’ve noticed many more buyers sending flowers to their own home address rather than to others,’ says Florence Kennedy, founder of Petalon, a flowers-by-post, carbon-neutral startup that she runs with her husband James from their 85-acre farm in Cornwall. 

So should you be answering Miley’s call to arms for Valentine’s Day, or frankly any other day when a bouquet (youquet?) is called for, here’s what Florence reckons will be top of the crops in 2023.

If you buy one flower this spring, make it a poppy. They’re about to come into season and their delicate ruffled petals look so chic. ‘It’s great to buy British and support local growers where you can,’ Florence says.

‘If you can’t find a local farm growing poppies then another British option is a potted cyclamen. These winter-flowering plants come in beautiful dark and light pinks and make a great alternative to a bouquet.’

‘Deep peach, dusty pinks and burnt oranges are our bestselling colours, with coral emerging as a really uplifting shade for 2023,’ Florence says. ‘People tend to send flowers for a celebration, so they want something bright and cheery. But there’s always room for a classic too.

‘It’s amazing how traditional red flowers are still so in demand around Valentine’s Day. I’m not sure that will ever change.’

‘People still love the really undone experience,’ says former east Londoner Florence. ‘It’s the idea that a bouquet was gathered from the garden.’ This arranging style sets a more premium bouquet apart from cheaper supermarket flowers, she adds. But it doesn’t mean you can’t rearrange a selection of shop-bought blooms yourself. 

‘I have a bouquet recipe in my head that includes focal flowers, supporting flowers and then greenery to bulk it out,’ says Florence. ‘One of the most important things is to have vertical elements. We call them “spires”: flowers like delphinium, stocks and antirrhinum – or snapdragon – which elongate the bouquet so it doesn’t look too round and old-fashioned.’

Make your floral indulgences last longer by following Florence’s drying technique. ‘Once your flowers are past their best, tie a ribbon around the stems and hang them upside down somewhere warm and dry,’ she advises.

‘It’s a really nice thing to do if you’ve had flowers for a special occasion and means you can enjoy them for a few more months.’