Letterbox Gifts Instead of Flowers

We make cards, pin badges and prints in the UK, all of them flat enough to post. We don't sell flowers, so the guide below is a straight guide - the cards and prints at the end are the only things we're selling.

Letterbox flowers solved the wrong problem. They fit through the door, but they still arrive as a job: unwrap, trim, find a vase, throw them out a week later.

Plenty of people need the gesture without the chore - someone unwell, someone grieving, someone in a flat with no vase. Here's what to send instead, all of it letterbox sized.

Instead of flowers, send

• A card, posted on its own, with a real message rather than a printed verse. It's the thing people keep.
• A print for the wall - the version of flowers that doesn't die, and costs about the same as a bouquet.
• A postcard a week for a month, which is worth far more than one big delivery.
• A pin badge, small enough to post and small enough not to be a burden.
• Tea, coffee or chocolate in a flat box - consumed, enjoyed, no upkeep.
• Seeds or bulbs, if they garden. Flowers next year rather than dead ones by Friday.

Why flowers are often the wrong call

• Someone unwell has to get up and deal with them, then watch them die on the side.
• After a bereavement, a house can fill with bouquets in three days and nobody has enough vases.
• Hospitals often don't accept flowers on wards at all.
• Hay fever, allergies, cats and small children all rule out a lot of what florists send.
• Flowers say something happened. A written card says you specifically were thinking about them.

When flowers are still right

• Funerals themselves, where the family has asked for them.
• Big celebrations where the house will be full of people looking at them.
• Someone who genuinely loves them and has the space and the vases.
• A thank you to a host, handed over in person rather than posted.

Making a posted gift land properly

• Send the card separately from anything else, so it arrives on its own day.
• Write more than you want to. Three sentences beats a signature every time.
• Say what you'll do next, not just how you feel - "I'll ring Sunday" is the useful part.
• Post it after the first fortnight for grief, when everyone else has stopped.
• Put your address on the back. People want to reply and often can't find it.

Shop thinking of you cards

Prints that post flat

A5, A4 and A3 art prints, drawn in house and printed in the UK.

How to write it so it lands

• Send the card on its own day.
• Write three sentences, not a signature.
• Put your address on the back.

Where to shop next

• Letterbox sympathy gifts
• Thinking of you gifts by post
• What fits through a letterbox
• Letterbox gifts for someone far away
• The rise of letterbox flowers
• What to write in a sympathy card
• Thinking of you messages
• Wall art and prints
• All guides
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges

Frequently asked questions

What can I send instead of flowers?

A card with a proper written message, a print for the wall, a small keepsake, or flat-boxed tea, coffee or chocolate. All post through a letterbox and none of it needs looking after.

Are letterbox flowers a good gift?

They're convenient to send, but the recipient still has to unwrap, trim and arrange them, then throw them out a week later. For someone unwell or grieving, something that needs no upkeep usually lands better.

What is the best gift to send by post in the UK?

Something flat and unbreakable: a card, a print, a postcard, a pin badge, or chocolate and tea in a slim box. Anything over about 2.5cm thick becomes a parcel and may not fit the letterbox.