Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

Renowned for its sustainability and eco-friendly ethos, Arena Flowers prides itself on the quality of its stems and this scented assortment of cerise roses, burgundy antirrhinum, lilac asters, lilac freesia, pink statice and ruscus really stands out from the crowd. The company chooses its letterbox flowers for their hardiness to travel without water and blooms are sent dry-packed after hydration treatment. The system clearly works a treat. Our flowers arrived in tip-top condition, were easy to arrange and continued to look stunning for more than a week.

Best: For lifting the spirits

Rating: 9/10

This bright and cheerful confection is guaranteed to lift the spirits and blow the cobwebs away. Stuffed to the brim with orange lilies, stocks, asters, solidago and cerise and yellow roses, Serenata’s offering was well packaged in a jolly turquoise box, wrapped in brown paper and tied with a matching turquoise ribbon, with flower food and detailed instructions on how to keep your flowers happy. “Feel free to talk to your flowers,” advises Serenata, and “settle them somewhere they will feel comfortable, away from direct sun, draft and fruit.” It’s top-notch advice.

Best: For variety and choice

Rating: 10/10

Bloom & Wild pioneered letterbox flowers in 2013 and with 23 different letterbox options to choose from, it’s definitely at the top of its game. We’ve ordered the 22-stem harper lots of times and it never disappoints. A dazzling array of roses, pink snapdragons, alstroemeria and greenbell foliage, it’s gorgeous to look at and suits every kind of décor. Bloom & Wild provides everything you need to look after your stems – two sachets of flower food, easy-to-follow arranging tips and care advice. If you’re sending flowers to friends or family, a variety of gift cards are available too.

Best: For helping others

Rating: 9/10

Just in case letterbox flowers aren’t on your postie’s radar yet, Bunches packaging is emblazoned with the chirpy message: “Dear Postie. I fit through the letterbox.” We reckon the Florence is particularly beautiful – sumptuous white Athena roses, white lisianthus tipped with blue, mauve milka aster, white gypsophila and eucalyptus. Our delivery impressed us from the outset – a stylish box, pretty gift card, flower care tips, a sachet of flower food and a packet of sunflower seeds. Since launching in 1989, Bunches has donated more than 10 per cent of its profits to charitable projects in the UK and abroad.

Best: For a special occasion

Rating: 9/10

Founded in 2017, Floward is an online flowers and gifting company that sources its blooms from growers and farmers around the world. This was the first time we’d tried Floward flowers and we were impressed. Pricier than many, our letterbox sample was an elegant and seasonal selection of roses, alstroemeria, hypericum and eucalyptus. We received 25 stems in total and our only bugbear was that we would have liked more than the one sachet of flower food provided. Floward offers a nationwide next-day delivery service and a same-day delivery service in London.

Best: For bright pops of colour

Rating: 8/10

“Handpicked for someone special”, says the message on Moonpig’s distinctive pink and blue letterbox packaging. A lot of the letterbox flowers we tested featured reds and yellows, so we were charmed by this pink, mauve and blue selection of snapdragons, tulips, carnations and chrysanthemums. Moonpig has been sending blooms since 2009, with the aim of celebrating the important moments in life, from birthdays and anniversaries to christenings and engagements. Flowers are delivered in bud to preserve their freshness and are guaranteed for five days, so it’s fun to watch them blossom to their full glory.

This bunch is currently out of stock but while we wait for its return, there are more letterbox flowers to choose from that are available all year round.

Best: Value

Rating: 9/10

Flying Flowers prides itself on sending showstopping flowers that don’t break the bank, and the generous bunch we tested is no exception, featuring six yellow tulips, six cerise carnations, four blue anemone, five daffodils, a stem of cheery yellow pistache and three sprigs of solidago. Unfortunately, this specific letterbox offering is no longer available, but there are still many other letterbox bunches to browse.

The company launched in 1981, when a group of holidaymakers posted carnations home instead of postcards, and has now sent more than 12 million bunches to customers across the UK. Watch out for the special offers it runs with its flowers – everything from free chocs to extra stems.

Best: For the joys of spring

Rating: 9/10

The arrival of spring flowers through the letterbox heralds the start of warmer days to come. Serenata’s abundant delivery of blue irises, purple tulips, narcissi, blue hyacinths and daffodils is a beauty. The stems are easy to assemble, even for flower arranging beginners, and looked as pretty as a picture in a jug on the kitchen table. As always with Serenata, the stems were delivered in a turquoise box, wrapped in brown paper and tied with ribbon, with a card, flower food, a 30 per cent offer off the next bunch and detailed instructions on how to look after the flowers.

Best: Seasonal flowers

Rating: 8/10

This spring medley of purple tulips, white tulips, white narcissi, blue hyacinths and pink hyacinths arrives in bud so customers can enjoy them for longer. We weren’t quite so keen on the two sprigs of eucalyptus but with a total of 17 stems, it didn’t matter a jot. The flowers were wrapped in brown paper and tied with string, just like the most fashionable florists in town. Look out for Waitrose’s handy flower care tips too. For example, letterbox flowers are likely to be extra thirsty on arrival, so they may need extra water in the first 24 hours.

Best: For eco-friendly ethics

Rating: 9/10

We’re big fans of Arena Flowers’ sustainability ethos. The company sources flowers directly from ethical suppliers and Fairtrade-certified farms and every bit of packaging is recyclable and compostable. These spring letterbox flowers include purple hyacinths, purple tulips, eucalyptus and purple limonium and are a feast for the eyes. Arena Flowers’s blooms cut a dash from the moment they pop through the letterbox. Packaged in chic grey boxes and wrapped in bespoke paper, they are ideal for gifting to family or friends but then again, you may want to keep them all for yourself.