For a First Grader in Phu Quoc

Flowers for a first grader in Phu Quoc: a bouquet built to stand on its own

Flowers for a first grader in Phu Quoc are hand-tied in a spiral: each stem goes in at a slight angle, always the same way, and every stem crosses the others at one point about a palm's width below the heads. Tied this way, a bouquet stands upright on a table on its own, without a vase or a stand underneath it. The section sits inside Token of Gratitude, and the choice here starts with size and colour.

Lavender, white or peony: what goes into a first grader's bouquet

Two lines run through the grid. The lavender line covers the Lavender Smoothie bouquet, both the eleven- and twenty-five-stem Lavender Spray Roses, the fifteen-stem Peony Lavender Roses and the Blue Field bouquet. The white line covers the White Freesia Bouquet, the White Dianthus Bouquet and White Dianthus with Eucalyptus.

Sizes run wide too, from the Mini Bouquets up to 51 Jumilia in Airy Wrapping, so the choice ranges from a small posy to a large, generous gesture.

Peony-shaped roses are usually English varieties bred in the style of David Austin. An actual peony, as in the Peony Bouquet "Five", has a season of its own: in the Netherlands, France, Germany and the UK it runs from late April to June. Outside that window a florist swaps a flower for one close in shade and price, and the swap is visible on the photo sent before the courier sets off.

Dianthus and chrysanthemum hold up longest, two to three weeks in water. A rose lasts about a week, and jumilia can reach two weeks with good care.

Chrysanthemum Bouquet #1 comes with one caveat. In France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary and Croatia a large chrysanthemum reads as a funeral flower, while in the United States it usually reads as a cheerful one. If the teacher's or the child's family has roots in the first group of countries, another bouquet makes the safer gift.

Care stays simple across the section: cut the stems at an angle, strip any leaf that would sit under water, change the water every day or two, and keep the vase away from radiators, direct sun and fruit.

Ordering flowers for the first day of school

The first day of school falls on a different date in every country. In Japan, for instance, the school year begins in April rather than in autumn. The date that matters is set by the school calendar of wherever the child lives.

Ordering first day of school flowers delivered to a specific address begins with picking a date and time, and that is accepted in any zone. The earlier the order goes in, the more slots stay open close to the date. The date, the time slot, the address and the card text can all be changed right up until the bouquet leaves, and no later than six hours before delivery.

How soon a bouquet can arrive is shown on its own page, and the delivery page sets out the zones it covers. A photo of the finished bouquet goes out before the courier sets off.

The card with a message is free. A balloon, sweets or a small toy are added in the cart alongside the bouquet: a latex helium balloon lasts around half a day, a foil one several days.

For a single flower rather than a mix, mono bouquets narrow the choice down. A balloon or something sweet to go with the flowers sits under gifts to go with bouquets, and the wider flowers for loved ones section covers every other occasion for someone close.