Sending flowers starts at our gift shops.

It's amazing how easy it is to make someone feel better. And probably the most common way is to send flowers. At Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, it's simple to make someone's day. To give flowers to someone in one of our hospitals, simply call the gift shop in that hospital and we'll hand deliver them to their room.*

Tips on making your own bouquet:

1. Consider color mix and balance/composition

   For traditional arrangements you'll want filler (foliage of some sort) and "focal" flowers (something larger like hydrangeas, sunflowers, peonies, etc.). Use mid-size flowers like roses to fill it out.

2. Choose the right vase

   It's the starting point. First, consider how big of a mouth it has – that will dictate the shape of your arrangement. The smaller the diameter of the opening, the more of a fan shape you'll achieve. If you have a wide opening, such as a cube, you'll want to create a grid with thin floral tape which will assist in holding the flowers in place. The general rule for vase ratio is the height of the vase should be approximately 1/3 of the entire arrangement.

3. Give flowers power

   After you've selected your vase and materials, the first thing you'll need to do is make sure the flowers are processed. If you're using roses, you'll want them dethorned and all leaves removed. For all flowers, you want to remove any foliage that will be below the water line. The water breaks down organic materials and it becomes bacteria in the water. Then cut the stems at a very severe angle. The more area you create in the cut the more water uptake for the flower.

4. Feed the water

   To do this, use either the packet of food that comes with the flowers or a small amount of bleach. The bleach won't necessarily nourish the flowers, but it will keep the bacteria at bay.

5. Finish up

   After processing and water treatment, arrange the filler material to create your overall shape. Then place the focal flowers in a balanced arrangement, often a triangle. Round out the rest keeping the blooms slightly "on top" of the filler rather than within the greenery. This will give you a nice, basic arrangement.

Keep pets safe from flowers and plants

Did you know there are over 100 flowers that are potentially dangerous to pets? They include tulips, daffodils, carnations and lilies. Get the full story about pets and flowers here.

*Flowers are not permitted in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) rooms.