What flowers to give for a birthday

A birthday is the easiest occasion to get right with flowers, and the easiest to ruin over one detail: sending red roses to a coworker changes the message completely. What decides it isn't age, it's the relationship.

By relationship

Who it's for	What works	What to avoid
Partner	Roses, tulips, peonies. Red or pink	Nothing, it's the only case with no restrictions
Friend	Sunflowers, gerberas, alstroemeria, a mixed-color bouquet	Red roses
Mother or grandmother	Pink roses, lilies, a potted orchid	Arrangements too big for her table
Coworker	A mixed-color bouquet, a small plant	Red, and strong scents in an office
Someone you don't know well	A mixed bouquet of seasonal flowers	Anything that could read as romantic

By age

• Fifteen: it has its own code. We cover it in flowers for a 15th birthday.
• Twenty to forty: modern and less formal works best: flower boxes, compact bouquets, combinations with greenery. And bundles that come with something to drink.
• Fifty and up: classic, long-lasting flowers win: lilies, roses, a potted orchid. A familiar flower is appreciated more than a novelty.
• Eighty or older: something small that fits on a nightstand, with no strong scent. A huge arrangement can be more of a practical problem than a gift.

If you want to personalize it

Two approaches that work better than any generic bouquet: the birth flower for their month and the flower for their zodiac sign. In both cases, what makes it land is explaining it on the card. Without the explanation, it's just another bouquet.

The detail people remember most

It isn't the size of the bouquet: it's that it arrives in the morning and not at seven in the evening. A bouquet that shows up before the person has received their birthday wishes changes the whole day. If it's going to an office, between 10 a.m. and noon.

Availability of each flower changes with the season. If you are looking for a specific flower, ask us before ordering and we will confirm whether we have it.