The UK's most popular flowers
Flowers have long been a popular way to express love, gratitude, and appreciation. With such a variety of beautiful blooms to choose from, it's no wonder they remain a go-to gift for so many special occasions, from Mother’s Day to birthdays.
As well as making a great gift for special occasions, having fresh flowers around the house is known to be a good stress reducer, and helps to elevate your mood. The way flower bouquets are arranged, as well as the type and colour of bloom selected can contribute to conveying multiple messages, for different celebrations and scenarios.
But which are the UK’s favourite flowers of all?
We carried out a study to uncover the most popular flower variations across the UK, using Google search data to rank over 100 flower varieties according to their average monthly search volume. We’ve also taken a closer look at which flowers are most popular across 30 of the most populated cities in the UK, and shared some top tips for crafting the perfect floral bouquet.
Roses are crowned the most popular flowers in the UK
Our research revealed a combined total of more than 2.7 million monthly searches for flower variations in the UK.
As for individual varieties, roses top the popularity list with an impressive 135,000 monthly searches, showcasing their timeless beauty and versatility as a gift. Poppies come in a close second with 110,000 searches, followed by sunflowers at 90,500.
Meanwhile, peonies, daffodils, and hydrangeas are tied for fourth place with 74,000 searches each, demonstrating their enduring popularity among flower lovers.
The top 10 most popular flower varieties in the UK are shown below.
The most popular flowers across the UK
Out of the 30 cities analysed, roses are the favourite flower in all but four: Cardiff, Swansea, Belfast, and Derby.
Welsh cities - Cardiff and Swansea - both display pride for their country with a preference for daffodils, the national flower of Wales. Cardiff's residents search for daffodils an average of 1,900 times per month, while those in Swansea perform around 720 monthly searches.
Meanwhile, Belfast prefers sunflowers over any other bloom (1,000), and Derby favours bluebells (880). British bluebells are native to the UK, making for an extra special sight when they bloom in spring.
We also found that Leeds residents perform the most flower-related Google searches overall, with an average of 7,993 searches per 100,000 people in one month. Manchester residents were close behind with 7,127 monthly searches per 100,000 people, followed by Edinburgh with 6,852.
Which flowers are associated with different birth months?
Did you know that each month of the year has specific flowers associated with it? For example, January's birth flowers are carnations and snowdrops, while May's are lily of the valley and hawthorn. This might be something to consider when looking to gift a floral bouquet in the future, to add a personal touch. Find out yours – or your loved ones - below:
- January: Carnation, Snowdrop
- February: Violet, Primrose
- March: Daffodil, Jonquil
- April: Daisy, Sweet Pea
- May: Lily of the valley, Hawthorn
- June: Rose, Honeysuckle
- July: Larkspur, Water Lily
- August: Gladiolus, Poppy
- September: Aster, Morning Glory
- October: Marigold, Cosmos
- November: Chrysanthemum
- December: Narcissus, Holly
How to create the perfect floral bouquet
The type of bloom, its colour and how it has been arranged means a bouquet of flowers can be for any occasion or receiver. Crafting the perfect floral bouquet for a loved one can seem daunting, but with a little bit of thought and care, it can be an enjoyable process.
Carnations are often overlooked but are the official flower of Mother's Day! They are long-lasting and hardy, so should definitely be considered if you’re opting to gift a more traditional bouquet. For a less traditional bouquet, consider selecting a mix of seasonal stems that are styled in a wild way by accompanying them with lots of nice textures such as grasses, fragrant foliage, and pretty little flowers.
If you’re looking for a sweet-smelling bouquet to gift, consider opting for Hyacinths such as Twilight Hyacinth, Cream Puff White Hyacinth, Pink Pearl Hyacinth, which are all extremely fragrant.
Tulips are another great option, particularly as now is the perfect season for them. Types such as the Sirena Pink Double Tulip, Coral Crus Fringed Tulip, or Lemon Sherbet Tulips, are unusual variations to your standard tulips and thus perfect for Mother’s Day.
Whatever flowers you choose, try to plan ahead and pre-order your bouquet ahead of Mother’s Day to ensure you have lots of options to pick from.
How to make a floral bouquet last
Having a beautiful bouquet instantly brightens a room, so, of course, we want to ensure it lasts as long as possible. These days, you can find lots of different tips online or on social media, such as adding pennies or even sugar to the water. However, you may be surprised at how little you need to do:
- It’s important to put your flowers into water as soon as possible.
- Fill a vase with cold, fresh water and clean the stems before adding them inside the vase.
- Snip stem ends off at a 45-degree angle so that the flowers can drink continuously.
- Make sure to change the water every two to three days and trim the stems.
- Remove any wilting stems from the vase but keep ones that still look fresh.
So, when you pick your next bouquet, will you deviate from the trend of roses and go with something less conventional?
Methodology
Using a seedlist of popular flower varieties, the average monthly searches for each type were analysed across the UK, as well as the 30 most populated cities. The timeline was set to the last 12 months (Feb 2022 - Jan 2023) and the data is accurate as of 16th February 2023.
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