Garlands Florist

A small family-run shop that has spent more than thirty years in Broughton, on the shoulder where the New Town edge slides down towards Leith. Its own summary — “for the usual, or the unusual” — is a fair description of how it works: weddings and corporate contracts are the specialism, but a single bouquet gets the same treatment, and orders placed by 1pm on a weekday are delivered the same day.

What people come here for

Weddings are the strongest line. The shop works regularly at recognisable Edinburgh venues — the Balmoral, The Hub up on the Old Town ridge, Dalmahoy out west and the ship Fingal down in Leith docks — and covers the whole set: bridal bouquets, bridesmaids’ flowers, buttonholes, corsages, ceremony arrangements, table and top-table flowers, and larger venue displays.

Corporate work is the second specialism: regular arrangements for offices, hotels and reception areas, which in a city with this much hospitality is steady year-round work rather than a sideline. Then there is everything else — birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, apologies and thank-yous — as hand-tied and gift-wrapped bouquets, with the shop insisting each order is treated as individually as the last. Funeral tributes are made as well, across the full range from casket sprays and wreaths to crosses, pillows, posies and sheaves.

Delivery and same-day orders

Same-day delivery needs the order in before 1pm from Monday to Friday, or before 11am on a Saturday. The shop states that it delivers its own flowers direct across the city, which is the distinction that matters: local orders are made and driven by the shop itself, not passed to a third party.

The delivery map is wide. It takes in the central districts — the Old Town and New Town, Leith, Broughton, Morningside, Merchiston, Corstorphine, Portobello and Joppa — and keeps going into Midlothian and East Lothian: Musselburgh, Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg, Loanhead, Penicuik, Roslin, Currie and Balerno among them. For addresses beyond its own delivery area the shop is an Interflora member and can send orders nationally, either for next day or same day.

What stands out

• Over thirty years in the same spot — a small family business on the slope between Broughton and Leith.
• Real venue experience — regular wedding work at the Balmoral, The Hub, Dalmahoy and Fingal.
• Its own flowers, delivered direct — local orders are made and driven by the shop.
• A 1pm weekday cut-off — late enough that a morning decision still reaches someone today.
• Interflora for everything further — national sending, same day or next day, from an independent counter.
• Gifts that travel with the flowers — balloons, candles and diffusers, chocolates, bath gifts, vases and vouchers.

Where the flowers come from

Garlands does not publish its suppliers or buying practice, beyond its own claim to top-quality stock. The one verifiable thing about its flowers is logistical rather than horticultural: local orders are delivered directly by the shop, and only orders outside its area are relayed through Interflora.

The shop, the service and what else they sell

This is a counter shop with a small team, described by the shop itself as friendly, talented and realistic — advice here tends to be about what will actually work on the day rather than what photographs best.

Alongside cut flowers there are house plants, hand-tied and gift-wrapped bouquets, animal-friendly bouquets for households with cats and dogs, balloon bouquets, candles and diffusers, bath gifts, chocolates, gift sets, vases and plant pots, and gift vouchers. Orders come in by phone, email and online, and the shop answers wedding and corporate enquiries directly rather than through a form-only funnel.

When to come and how to get there

The shop sits at the head of the slope down to Leith, a short walk from the St James Quarter at the east end of the centre and on the tram and bus route towards the shore. It is also well placed for deliveries in both directions: the New Town and Old Town one way, Leith and the shore the other.

Expect the usual pressure at Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Christmas, and a long wedding peak from late spring through to autumn, when Saturdays are the busiest day of the shop’s week. August is its own event: with the Fringe filling the centre, deliveries into the Old Town take longer, and ordering in the morning rather than at lunchtime makes a real difference.

Questions and answers

Can I get a bouquet delivered today?

Yes, if you order before 1pm Monday to Friday, or before 11am on Saturday. The shop is closed on Sundays.

Can they send flowers to another city?

Yes — as an Interflora member the shop can arrange national delivery, either with a day’s notice or same day.

Do they do wedding flowers, and how early should I book?

Weddings are one of their two specialisms, and they show regular work at the Balmoral, The Hub, Dalmahoy and Fingal, so access and set-up at those venues are already familiar. Summer Saturdays go early, so make contact as soon as the date and venue are fixed.

Can they take a regular office or hotel contract?

Yes — corporate flowers are the shop’s other specialism, arranged on a repeating basis for offices, hotels and reception spaces.

What if there are pets in the house?

Ask for one of their animal-friendly bouquets, which are made without the lilies and other stems that are risky for cats and dogs.

How quickly can they do funeral flowers?

The full range of tributes is made in-shop, from sprays and wreaths to crosses and posies. Phone rather than order online if the service is close, so the timing can be agreed directly.

Opening hours