Grief does not come with an instruction manual. When someone you love is hospitalized, or a New York family loses someone, choosing the right flowers can feel surprisingly difficult. You want to get it right — but you're not sure what's appropriate for a hospital room versus a funeral home, what arrangement styles make sense for a shiva or a Catholic wake, or whether flowers are even allowed in certain medical settings.
After nearly a century of helping New Yorkers through some of their hardest moments, we're always glad to answer these questions. This guide collects what we know.
Hospital Flowers in NYC: What to Check Before You Send
The first question to ask: "Can I send flowers to someone in the hospital?"
The short answer: it depends on the hospital and the unit.
What to know about hospital rules:
- Rules about flowers and plants vary from hospital to hospital and from unit to unit, and they can change.
- Some units, such as intensive care, may not allow fresh flowers or plants.
- Check with the patient's floor before you order. The nurses' station, the patient, or the family can tell you what the unit allows.
How we handle hospital deliveries: Give us the patient's name and any information you have on the room number and the hospital area or wing. We always call the hospital to confirm. We can't deliver until we have a room number and the patient can receive flowers. If the patient can't be found yet, we keep calling until the flowers can be delivered.
Sending to Mount Sinai? See our Mount Sinai flower delivery page.
What to send to a hospital patient:
- Orchids: Phalaenopsis orchids live for weeks, require no water changes, and are visually calming. We recommend them for hospital stays where the unit allows plants.
- Small, low arrangements: Avoid tall, wide arrangements that will overload a bedside table. A compact cube arrangement is practical.
- Potted plants for longer stays: If someone is in rehabilitation or recovering over several weeks and the unit allows plants, a small potted plant outlasts cut flowers. Some hospitals treat plants the same as cut flowers, so check with the floor first.
- Avoid strongly scented blooms (lilies, tuberose, gardenias) in enclosed hospital rooms — many patients and staff find strong fragrances overwhelming, and some medical treatments can change how patients react to smells.
Sympathy Flowers for NYC Funeral Homes and Memorial Services
Sympathy flowers usually go either to the funeral service or to the family's home, and the right type and scale depend on the service format.
Standing sprays and large tributes are traditional for funeral home services, where they usually stand on an easel near the casket. Churches and other venues each have their own practices, so check with the funeral director or the venue before sending.
Smaller arrangements, such as vase arrangements, plants or simple bouquets, are more suitable for smaller chapel services, graveside ceremonies, or memorial gatherings at private homes.
Flower choices for sympathy:
- White flowers remain the traditional sympathy standard: white roses, white lilies, white chrysanthemums, white orchids. They communicate purity, peace, and respect across most religious and cultural traditions.
- Soft pastels — blush, lavender, pale yellow — are appropriate for celebrating a long life or for services with a more celebratory ("life well-lived") tone.
- Bright, bold colors are sometimes requested by families who want a service that reflects the personality of the deceased. If the family has something personal in mind, from sunflowers to a favorite sports team's colors, call us about a custom arrangement.
For Catholic services, white flowers near the altar are traditional. Lilies are strongly associated with Easter and resurrection symbolism and are appropriate for Catholic masses. If you're unsure, ask the parish office or the funeral director.
For shiva, see the section below. For a Jewish funeral service, ask the family or the funeral director first, as customs differ.
Flowers for Shiva: Navigating Jewish Mourning in NYC
Shiva observance varies across Jewish communities — and so does flower etiquette.
Traditional practice often did not include flowers at shiva houses, as the mourning period is meant to be solemn and practical, not decorative. Many families still prefer that guests bring food or fruit rather than flowers.
Other families welcome flowers at the shiva house. Customs differ from family to family, so if you're not sure, ask the family or someone close to them before you send.
What works well for shiva:
- Low, table-height arrangements that don't dominate the space or obstruct conversation
- Long-lasting options: orchids, potted plants, or succulents that will remain fresh throughout the full shiva period (up to seven days)
- Neutral or white-toned arrangements rather than very bright, celebratory colors
What to avoid:
- Large standing funeral sprays — these are for the funeral home, not the home
- Very strongly scented arrangements (lilies, in particular, can feel overwhelming in an enclosed sitting room)
- Arrangements that require significant care or water changes — the bereaved family should not be managing flower maintenance
Timing: Shiva begins right after the burial, and the day of the burial counts as the first day. If you're uncertain about family preferences, a phone call to ask is always appropriate — and always appreciated.
What to Write on the Card
The flowers are the easier part. The card is harder.
A few principles that have held up over the years:
Keep it simple. "Thinking of you" or "With love, [your name]" is always right. You do not need to say more than this.
Acknowledge the person lost, not just the loss. "We loved [name] and are so glad to have known her" is more meaningful than "So sorry for your loss."
Do not say "everything happens for a reason." In grief, this lands badly, almost universally.
If you knew the person well, one specific memory is the most powerful thing you can put on a card: "I will always remember the way she laughed during our weekly walks in the Park."
Ordering Sympathy Flowers in NYC: What to Know
For same-day delivery in Manhattan, our guideline is to order by 3:00 PM ET. After 3 PM, a same-day order can still go out; we just have to check, so please call. In Brooklyn and Queens, checkout shows whether same-day delivery is available, or call and we'll check. We deliver across Manhattan, including the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, and Midtown, and to Brooklyn and Queens. For hospital deliveries, order by 1 PM ET for same day, and include the hospital, the patient's name, the room number and area or wing, and a phone number. We'll call the hospital to confirm.
For funeral home deliveries, we recommend calling us directly for funeral tributes to confirm timing and scale: (212) 289-1677.
For out-of-town senders dispatching arrangements to a Manhattan address: we are a local florist, not a wire service relay. Your order isn't passed to another florist, and there's no automated fulfillment. Our team at 96th and Madison makes your arrangement by hand, fresh to order. If a flower is out of season, we may make a seasonal substitution of equal or greater value. We never substitute another flower for an orchid, and orchids are always prepared to order.
Sending to a home with a cat, or to someone who finds lilies too strongly scented? We can always make any of our mixed designs without lilies: write "no lilies" in your cart's order note (not the gift message), or call us. Lilies are life-threatening to cats; even their pollen or the vase water can be dangerous. Our pet-safe flowers guide has more.
Jerome Florists Has Been Here for Moments Like This Since 1929
Our founder, William Peter Stamos, was a Greek immigrant. The business started on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx and moved to the corner of 96th Street and Madison Avenue in May 1929, and three generations of our family have worked on that corner since. We've delivered flowers to hospitals, funeral homes, synagogues and churches, and sitting rooms across the Upper East Side.
We don't take that lightly.
If you're not sure what to send, or when, or how — call us. We'll help you get it right.
Jerome Florists | 96th Street & Madison Avenue | New York, NY
Order online at jeromeflorists.com or call (212) 289-1677 for same-day delivery.