The 11 Most Popular Flowers, According to Florists

Baby's Breath

Millennials and Gen Zers alike are all for Gysophila, says Palazzo. Not just a filler anymore, baby's breath is a popular flower that has assumed a starring role, especially in bridal bouquets, wedding arches, and over-the-top event hall arrangements called ceiling installations.

Carnations

Influencers on TikTok and Instagram are bringing back the carnation with floral tricks like "reflexing"—gently folding back petals to make these affordable blooms extra full and feathery. Another trick: Gather together several blooms and wrap their stems to create what looks like a spring peony any time of year. Carnations that are especially popular at City Line Florist come in old-world colors, including Antique Creamy Peach, a champagne hue with peach-and-ivory undertones, says Palazzo.

Hydrangeas

These romantic blooms have everyone's heart—and when it comes to arrangements, mini green hydrangeas are the winners. According to Holmes, white-and-blue types are popular flowers at her shop, where garden-inspired blossos rule. "When we do add greenery, we use sword fern or Israeli ruscus," she says. "But you don't have to add anything for a hydrangea to look amazing. The leaf on it alone could be enough for greenery, because it's gorgeous."

Lilacs

At Allen's Flowers & Plants in San Diego, Calif., customers scramble for locally grown lilacs in the spring, says general manager Sam Bowles. The season lasts just a month, but it's a busy one for the heady-scented blooms, which people pick up by the bunch for their kitchen countertops, gift-giving, and Mother's Day if the blooming window is just right. "People have very strong memories associated with flowers," Bowles says. "So it's not unusual that somebody sending lilacs will say, 'I remember my grandmother had lilac bushes in her backyard and this brings back all the memories for me.'"

Lisianthus

This popular flower looks a like a soft version of a rose, but lasts longer—up to two weeks—in a vase. "It mixes in beautifully with everything," Holmes says. Her shop's designers and customers love its light pink, white, and peach shades. Palazzo says it's a big seller for all occasions at City Line: "It's very pretty and English-garden-like."

Peonies

This spring standout has adoring fans from coast to coast. "Customers ask about it all year," Bowles says. And while suppliers from around the world can send peonies to shops at almost year round, "when they're in their proper season, you get them at a better price, and they look better." An up-and-comer to look for, according to Palazzo: Coral Charm. "When it opens up it's coral, and then by the end of the week, it almost is like a soft, soft peach or even white," she says.

Ranunculus

A popular wedding flower, ranunculus is available in both bright shades and pastels, making it right for almost any color palette. Each generous bloom has between 100 and 130 petals, and while its appearance is delicate, this tough bloom lasts for up to a week. At City Line, peaches and blushes are customer favorites, Holmes says. Designers there mix it with evergreen pittosporum and loops of lily grass as well as hyacinth and anemones.

Roses

"You can't go wrong with roses," Palazzo says. "They are such a classic." She and our other florists noted that tiny spray roses work well in almost any arrangement and make dance recital bouquets extra sweet. A new variety customers from coast to coast have fallen in love with: Free Spirit, a vibrant mix of pink, yellow, peach and fuchsia tones that looks like a classic English garden rose. And unlike many of the long-lasting hybrids, this one has a lovely fragrance. 

Stock

This spicy-scented stock flower comes in a wide range of colors, goes with everything, and lasts a long time in arrangements. The variety Vintage Peach is a favorite at Holmes' shop; it "looks like something from the '50s," she says. Also popular: mauve, white, and hot magenta shades. "It's very drapey," Holmes says, adding that the tropical Blue Star fern, with its papery, blue-green leaves, makes a great companion in arrangements that star stock.

Sunflowers

A hands-down favorite, sunflowers just make people happy. Even in California, where they grow abundantly, "they're a great way to splash color and bring some summer into your home," Bowles says. They're a natural in get-well arrangements, Holmes adds. "We'll put lemon leaf with them, some dusty miller or Israeli ruscus, as well. But we just like to keep it simple and focus on the flower."

Tulips

Customers from coast to coast love tulips. They mix well with greens and other flowers, but "you could just put three of them in a beautiful, simple, cylinder vase and nothing else," Holmes says. "The way they fall and gently curve is just a work of art."

At City Line, parrot and fringed cultivars are top sellers. "The flower really doesn't have a long vase life, but it's pretty and happy and symbolic to spring," says Palazzo says—which, for many customers, is a welcome change after a long, hard winter.