From loud, look-at-me letterbox blooms to soft little posies that smell like a Victorian love letter, summer is peak flower flex season. Jazzing up the kitchen table, sending a "thinking of you" or treating yourself because, frankly, you deserve it, we've rounded up our ten favourite summer stars.
And because we're the UK's go-to for pet-friendly flowers, every single flower on this list gets the FLOWERFIX pet safety check. Look out for the little tick (✓ safe) or cross (✗ not safe) next to Cat Safe and Dog Safe, so you can shop with total peace of mind, whatever's waiting at home to sniff your bouquet.
Enough talk. Let's get into the good stuff.
1. SUNFLOWERS
If summer had a mascot, it would be the sunflower. Big, bold, permanently cheerful, sunflowers are the sunshine that grows on earth. Pop one in a vase on its own for maximum drama, or mix a few into a bright bunch and watch them steal the whole show. They hit peak gorgeousness in August, so this is genuinely their moment to shine.
Pet Safety: Cat Safe ✓ Dog Safe ✓
2. DELPHINIUM
Tall and gorgeous pastels, a favourite at FLOWERFIX HQ. Larkspur are towering spires that come in gorgeous shades of sapphire blue through to soft lilac and pink, and they add theatre to any arrangement.
Pet Safety: Cat Safe ✗ Dog Safe ✗
Gorgeous, but this one's strictly for pet-free rooms, pop over to our Pet Safe Flowers collection for something just as showstopping minus the risk.
3. CRASPEDIA
Also known as Billy Buttons, drumstick flowers, or those little yellow pom-poms everyone crazed over not so long ago. Craspedia is the quirky one at the party and can handle any room with just a stem or two. Perfectly round mustard-coloured globes on long, slender stems, they add texture and a bit of personality to any bunch, and they dry out just as beautifully as they look fresh.
Pet Safety: Cat Safe ✗ Dog Safe ✗
4. COSMOS
Cosmos brings wildflowers home: dainty daisy-like blooms on long stems with feathery, delicate foliage that are just reminiscent of a cottage garden. It comes in a whole rainbow of colours, blooms early, and hangs around right through to the first proper autumn chill, making it one of the most generous flowers of the season.
Pet Safety: Cat Safe ✓ Dog Safe ✓
5. ANTIRRHINUM (SNAPDRAGON)
Snapdragons get their nickname from their slightly unhinged party trick: squeeze the bloom gently and it "snaps" open like a little dragon's mouth. Kids love them, gardeners love them, and we love them for the playful, old-world charm they bring to a summer bouquet. Bonus points for the fact they're one of the safest bets on this whole list and last a long time.
Pet Safety: Cat Safe ✓ Dog Safe ✓
6. SWEET SCENTED STOCKS
If sunflowers are the loud friend, sweet scented stocks are the one who smells incredible and everyone wants to know their secret. Popular since Victorian times, these compact, brightly coloured blooms pack an unforgettable fragrance with frilly petals, which is why they turn up in so many bridal bouquets.
Pet Safety: Cat Safe ✓ Dog Safe ✓
7. MATRICARIA DAISIES
Small, endlessly cheerful, matricaria daisies (part of the chamomile family) bring an instant "hazy summer meadow" vibe to any arrangement. Don't let the dainty size fool you, they punch well above their weight when it comes to charm, whether peeking out of a bouquet or clustered together for a boho, just-picked from the garden look.
Pet Safety: Cat Safe ✗ Dog Safe ✗
8. GARDEN ROSES
There's a reason the garden rose has been the go-to romantic gesture for roughly all of recorded history. Ridiculously photogenic, with that classic cupped or fluffy rosette shape, garden roses come loaded with meaning too. Pink for friendship, yellow for joy, red for, you know exactly what I mean loverboy. Chic and classic that never goes out of style. Believe us when we say this, the scent from a David Austin rose is absolutely out of this world. Whether it's for your garden pot or vase at home, please just grab a bunch once in your lifetime.
Pet Safety: Cat Safe ✓ Dog Safe ✓
9. CLEMATIS
Usually seen scrambling up a trellis or garden fence, clematis has earned its place as a cut flower in its own right. With star-shaped blooms and glossy foliage, it trails beautifully through bridal bouquets, garlands and arches, bringing a romantic, slightly wild at heart energy wherever it's used.
Pet Safety: Cat Safe ✗ Dog Safe ✗
As beautiful as it is, keep clematis well away from curious noses and paws.
10. EUCALYPTUS
Not technically a flower, but we're not sorry for including it, because eucalyptus makes everything look and smell better. Those signature blue-green leaves and that fresh airwaves style minty aroma turn any bouquet from nice into wow.
Pet Safety: Cat Safe ✗ Dog Safe ✗
A florist favourite, but not a pet-household favourite, so admire this one in someone else's vase or check out our Pet Safe Flowers for a foliage-forward alternative instead.
The Hardy Bunch: Why We Pick Tough Flowers for Summer
Here's the thing nobody tells you about a heatwave, your flowers are having just as rough a time of it as you are. Warm rooms and sunny windowsills speed up water loss and turn a vase into a bacteria party, which is exactly why some blooms wilt after one hot afternoon while others shrug it off completely.
That's why, when the temperature climbs, our florists lean towards the naturally tough stuff. Sunflowers are surprisingly hardy and built for exactly this kind of weather. Snapdragons, kept out of direct sun with fresh water daily, travel and last brilliantly. And gerberas are basically unbothered by heat, staying bright and perky when softer blooms have already given up. We pick these stems on purpose, because a bouquet that's still looking gorgeous five days later is a much better gift than one that's gone floppy by the evening.
The science bit.. Trim stems at an angle, change the water regularly, and keep your bouquet away from direct sun and radiators. Simple habits, extended vase life. If you'd rather leave the hardy-flower-picking to the professionals, that's precisely what we do with every single bouquet we send out.
From loud and sunny to soft and fragrant, we've got your summer flowers sorted, pets included. Shop the summer flower collection and let our florists pick the good stuff, or head straight to our Pet Safe Flowers if four-legged quality control is part of your household. Enough talk. Let's get creative.
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