What to send, and when

Most people asking what to send already know the occasion. What they are really asking is what will be understood.

Carnations read as mothers here, and have for two generations. They also last longer than almost anything else we sell, which is not a coincidence — flowers become traditional partly because they survive the journey.

Sunflowers are for congratulations, recoveries and graduations. They photograph well, which matters more than florists like to admit: a graduation bouquet is going to be held in front of a face in twenty photographs.

Red roses are narrower in meaning than people expect. A dozen red roses to a colleague is a misunderstanding. Mixed pinks and whites say warmth without saying anything else.

For sympathy, white and green, and nothing scented — a strongly perfumed arrangement in a small room is a burden at a wake.

For a shop opening, the stand matters more than the flowers. It is read from across the road, so the wording on the board is the gift. Tell us what to write and we will letter it.