The kinds of flowers that this current season produces have an incredible ability to brighten up a lot of people's moods. Aside from anyone who suffers badly from hay fever or other plant-related allergic reactions, many will be quietly contented or made just a little bit happier by the presence of flowers.

When you're looking to send some nice flowers to anyone who isn't in your immediate vicinity, perhaps the best bet is through ordering a bouquet online and having it delivered to their door; this way, you'll have the option to assemble your own preferred combination, or just to go with one of the recommended choices given to you.

On the other hand, you're likely to get some equally great choices at any local flower salesman near to where you live. You'll have the chance to touch and feel the products that you'll be buying as a gift for someone, which might be preferable to relying on what you see on the mail order company's website.

You might well find that choosing your own flower arrangements is the best option, depending on how many wide natural spaces there are near your home. Whether it's from your garden or somewhere a little further afield, the selections that nature has to offer can be some of the simplest and the best.

A great example of these kinds of flowers is the foxglove, a wild species which can be found in most parts of the country. Appearing about halfway through spring and staying with us practically until the start of Autumn, the simplicity of the bell-like petal structure works perfectly on a table of in a window sill.

If you're anywhere hear a pond or some calm water, then be on the lookout for water lilies. These small but graceful flowers have a lot of beauty packed into their tiny petals, and the range of colours that the different strains come in will ensure that there's something to be appreciated by everyone.

If you're trying to say something like an apology or sometimes just a 'thank you,' but maybe you'd rather not use words, then think about what flowers can communicate instead, as they have an unparalleled ability to get across a message that may be too hard to speak.

It is, of course, important to remember that flowers can just be nice things to give or to receive, and they don't always come with the baggage of some sort of message that has to be got across. So whether you're getting something for someone else or picking a few naturally-growing plants to brighten up your own home, just remember the simple kind of joy that flowers can bring to anyone.

Maricruz Tennill is a horticulturalist and freelance writer based in Liverpool. They recommend Interflora for florists in Liverpool.