The flowers arrived wrong, late or not at all: mistakes to avoid when sending them

Where flower orders really go wrong

The most common mistakes have nothing to do with the flowers. People leave out a suite number or the recipient's phone number, time the delivery for when nobody is there, forget to check whether a hospital room or a home with a cat can safely take the flowers, sign the card so vaguely that nobody knows who sent it, and order from a website that is not the local shop it appears to be. Each of these is easy to prevent with two minutes of thought before you order.

I have designed and delivered flowers at Willow Creek Florist in Dallas since 1988, and every one of these comes up sooner or later in a flower shop. None of them is a disaster on its own, but each one costs the flowers time, and some cost the moment entirely. Here is what to watch for.

An address that is almost right

"Almost right" is the most common reason a delivery is late. An office tower without the suite number, an apartment complex without the building, a gated community without the gate instructions or a business name that has changed all send the driver searching while the flowers sit in a warm van.

Give everything you have, even if it seems obvious. The recipient's phone number matters most, because it lets the driver solve a problem on the spot instead of bringing the flowers back.

Workplaces add one more wrinkle. Many people now work from home part of the week, so a delivery to the office on the wrong day means the arrangement waits for them, or a colleague takes it home. If you are sending to someone at work, find out which days they are actually there, or send the flowers to their home instead.

• Full street address, including suite, unit or building number
• The business name as it appears on the door, for office deliveries
• Gate codes, a loading dock or a security desk, if you know them
• The recipient's phone number, or a colleague's number for a surprise
• Any instruction such as "leave with reception" or "do not leave at the door"

Timing that works for you but not for them

Flowers delivered to an office late on a Friday spend the weekend on a dark desk. Flowers delivered to a house while everyone is at work may sit on the porch, and in a Dallas summer a few hours on a sunny doorstep can wilt even a sturdy arrangement. A surprise is lovely, but a little coordination is better than a ruined arrangement.

If you are not sure of the recipient's schedule, ask someone who is: a spouse, a roommate, an assistant. Send office flowers early in the week or early in the day, and home deliveries when you know someone will be in.

Birthdays and anniversaries that fall on a weekend are worth a thought, too. Decide whether the person would enjoy flowers at work on Friday, where colleagues will see them, or at home on the day itself. Either is fine, but it is a choice to make on purpose rather than by default. If the recipient is traveling or has guests in town, ask when the flowers will be most welcome rather than guessing.

Not checking the hospital or the household first

Hospitals are a common destination and a common problem. Some hospital units do not allow fresh flowers or plants, and patients are often moved or discharged sooner than expected. Call the hospital or the family before ordering, confirm the room and the rules, and consider sending the flowers home to greet the patient instead.

Pets are the household detail people forget most. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that lilies in the true lily and daylily families, including Easter, Oriental, stargazer, tiger and Asiatic lilies, are highly toxic to cats. The FDA says the entire plant is toxic, including the pollen and even the vase water, and that eating a small amount of a leaf or petal can cause fatal kidney failure. If a cat may have chewed a lily, the FDA advises contacting a veterinarian or pet poison control right away, because treatment is time sensitive.

Strong fragrance is the other consideration. In a small hospital room, a shared office or a home with someone sensitive to scent, choose flowers with little fragrance. A good florist will ask about this if you mention who the flowers are for.

A card that leaves them guessing

"Love, M" means a great deal to you and may mean nothing to the person reading it. Sign your full name, or your first and last name if the recipient knows several people with your first name. For a group, list the names or name the group clearly. For a business, include the company name.

Keep the message short and clear. Read it once as the recipient would, without any of the context in your head. If an inside joke could be misread by a coworker who sees the card on a desk, save it for a text.

Remember that cards are often read by more than one person. A receptionist may open the envelope to find out who an office delivery is for, and a family member may read the card on a hospital tray. Write something you would be comfortable with anyone seeing, and keep private sentiments for a private conversation.

Ordering from a middleman without realizing it

Many flower websites look like a shop around the corner and are actually order-taking services that pass your order to a local florist, sometimes with fees you did not expect. The Society of American Florists suggests checking for a physical address in the community and a local phone number that connects directly to the shop, and simply asking whether that florist will design and deliver the arrangement itself.

This matters most when timing is tight or the details are complicated, because every extra handoff is another chance for something to be lost. I wrote a full guide on how to tell a real local florist from an online middleman if you want the complete checklist.

The wrong size or style for the place

A big, beautiful arrangement can be the wrong gift. On a narrow reception desk it blocks the receptionist; on a hospital tray table there is no room for it; on a dining table a tall arrangement stops people from seeing each other. A delicate flower meant for a single evening disappoints someone who hoped to enjoy it for a week.

Tell your florist where the flowers are going and who will look after them. For someone who travels a lot, a plant or a long-lasting orchid may be kinder than cut flowers. For a busy office, a compact arrangement with sturdy varieties lasts longer and stays out of the way.

Think about the container as well. A heavy glass vase is a burden for someone leaving the hospital or moving out of a dorm, and a large basket takes up space in a small apartment long after the flowers are gone. When in doubt, choose a container the recipient will either want to keep or will not mind recycling.

Waiting until the busiest days to order

Valentine's Day and Mother's Day are among the busiest days of the year for florists, and demand for popular flowers peaks then. Ordering a few days early gives you a wider choice, and asking for a color or mood rather than one specific flower lets the designer use what is at its best that week.

The same applies to sympathy flowers for a weekend service, and to anything for a holiday weekend. When the date matters, order as soon as you know it.

For recurring dates, such as a spouse's birthday, an anniversary or a client's company milestone, put a reminder in your calendar a week ahead. That small habit turns a last-minute scramble into a thoughtful order, and it gives the florist time to design something personal instead of whatever is left that afternoon.

Forgetting what happens after delivery

Even a perfect arrangement depends on a little care once it arrives. Penn State Extension recommends checking the water daily, changing it completely every few days with a fresh packet of flower food, recutting the stems, removing leaves below the waterline and keeping the flowers cool and out of direct sun. With that care, the extension says, cut flowers can last one to two weeks, sometimes longer, depending on the variety.

If you are giving flowers to someone who may not know these steps, a quick mention in your message or a care card from the florist helps. My guide on why fresh flowers wilt early and how to make them last covers the routine in detail.

What I confirm on every order

When you call, I ask the questions that prevent all of the above: who the flowers are for and why, the full address and the best phone number, when someone will be there to receive them, whether there are pets, allergies or hospital rules to think about, where the arrangement will sit, and exactly how you want the card to read. Then I design the arrangement for that person and setting and deliver it when it should arrive.

Sympathy orders deserve extra care, because there is only one chance to get them right. If you are sending flowers for a funeral, my guide to what to send and where to send it walks through the details. For anything else, call and tell me the occasion; the rest is my job.

Questions people ask me