Occasions
Get-Well Flowers
Get-well flowers come with the most special rules of any occasion. Many Düsseldorf clinics no longer allow cut flowers on intensive or neonatal wards — for hygiene and allergy reasons. On regular wards they're usually fine but with limits. To play safe, send a potted plant or pair a card with a smaller bouquet.
Hospital rules overview: ICU → usually banned. Oncology / maternity → often potted plants only (cut-flower water is a bacterial risk). Regular wards → cut flowers usually fine but the patient needs a vase. On request we deliver with a small water vase so staff don't have to improvise.
Avoid for hospital delivery: strongly scented flowers (lilies, hyacinths), high-pollen varieties (some lilies, mimosas), and very large bouquets — bedside table space is limited. Potted plants with soil are also not allowed in some clinics (mould risk).
What works: smaller bouquet (€30–60) of low-maintenance flowers — tulips, lisianthus, ranunculus, freesias. Pastel or light tones feel warmer than dark varieties against the sterile clinic backdrop. We recommend unopened buds — they open slowly over the days and give the patient something to watch.
At-home recovery (not hospital): rules are more relaxed. Larger bouquets are fine, scented flowers too. Sunflowers feel uplifting without being kitschy. Mixed bouquets in cheerful but not loud-bright tones.
A tip from the shop: don't write 'Get well soon' on the card — that's the standard phrase everyone sends. A personal sentence ('We're thinking of you, Antonia') or a brief shared memory lands far better.
Frequently asked
- Which flowers are allowed in hospital?
- ICU and neonatal wards usually allow none. Regular wards accept cut flowers without strong scent or heavy pollen — tulips, lisianthus, ranunculus, freesias are safe picks. Potted plants are sometimes allowed, but some clinics ban them due to mould risk.
- Should I send lilies to hospital?
- Better not. Lilies are strongly scented and pollen can trigger allergies — not ideal in a closed hospital room. For at-home recovery or post-hospital, they work better.
- Do you deliver directly to the patient's room?
- We try — some wards only allow drop-off at reception or with nursing staff. Please provide clinic name, ward, floor and room number.
- What do you write on a get-well card?
- Personal beats standard. 'We're thinking of you' plus one shared detail ('… and already planning that first beer after discharge') lands stronger than 'get well soon'. For serious illness, restrained and honest beats forced cheerfulness.
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