You did it again, didn't you? Forgot until the last minute that birthday, anniversary, graduation, promotion, or fill-in-the-blank-here. No fear, online florists are here. No longer do you have to work in that lunch time stop at the florist shop. Now customized flowers are just a hop, skip, and click away. With the added bonus of being in an international market, most of these online florists offer same day delivery to cover up even the most forgetful patrons.

The time factor is just one of the conveniences that online florists offer over their in-store competitors. In addition to saving time and having online tracking to verify your order, you can get virtual pictures of bouquets, so you don't have to leave anything to the imagination.

There are also some online florists who offer not only national but international delivery as well.

Online florists aren't just for flowers, either. If the typical dozen roses routine won't do, order some chocolate or a gourmet coffee basket. Personalized cards and gift ideas are a feature on most online florist websites. The virtual world of flora offers a variety that your local shop just can't compete with. As the times move ahead, and faxes and email replace the post office, it would be foolish if the sentimental laboratory of florists couldn't keep up.

Holding on to the romantic notion of the local flower shop? No worries. In most cases, the order you place online will get farmed out to a local florist who will make the delivery to your loved one, colleague, or secret admiree. So the "shop around the corner" is not lost, but in the spirit of the rest of the World Wide Web, the global community has in fact come to not only your email box, your netflix queue and your office conference calls, but now also to your local flower shop.

To view our list of recommended online florists, visit: Recommended Online Florists

Carrie Reeder is the owner of eZerk, an informational website with articles and the latest news about various topics.