A flower arrangement and its aesthetic appeal – just like beauty – is in the eye of the beholder. What’s hot and what’s not is often decided by personal style as well as budget. And when buying flowers online, most people spare little thought for trends in flower arranging. Saying all that, most of us would have a view on what’s old fashioned (but old fashioned is good when you’re sending flowers to your nan) and what’s modern. For example, young people seem to steer away from carnations while older generations love them. In the 1970s and 80s structured, A-symmetrical flower arrangements were all the rage whereas the current trend is for nostalgia: floppy natural-looking arrangements that remind of English country gardens. Perhaps you’re not too bothered but if you like to be abreast of fashion, here are a few trends to keep in mind when you next buy some flowers online:

Single colour concept: This is arrangement of flowers that uses one colour in a mix of either the same kind of flower or a mix. Usually flowers are densely packed together and often in a container. Style icons of this type of arrangement are Martha Stewart (US) and Jane Packer (UK).

The outside in arrangement: This style uses glass to show off flowers as if they are in a museum case. Flowers are placed inside a vase with the tops aligned near the upper rim of the vase.

Repeating performance: This flower arrangement requires three or more of the same type of container. Each container then has one or more identical flowers, showing off the singular shape of the particular flower. Looks good on a table or a window sill. How many containers and how many flowers? Anything goes as long as it is continuous.

Boxed in: Flowers tightly packed into a square or oblong shaped container is currently a very popular choice. UK online florists love this arrangement as it is easy to transport and has the wow effect. Different colours of the same type of flower look great.

Topsy turvy: Traditional design dictates that flowers arranged in a vase are in the following ratio: 1/3 vase and 2/3 flowers sticking out the top. This trend flips this around. In this flower arrangement the vase occupies the lower 2/3 of the arrangement and the flowers just crest over the top rim.

Unearthed: One fun trend is to display bulb flowers such as tulips, hyacinths or amaryllis as complete units with the flower and stem still attached to the bulb and roots. The effect is reminiscent of historical botanical drawings.

Folded leaves: Another trend, especially in bridal bouquets, is to rim the hand ties with large leaves that are folded back to create a stylised organic “frame”.

Whatever your style, the most important thing to look out for when buying online flowers is to choose something you like. Oh, and if you’re going for carnations, make sure the recipient likes them.