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Congratulations in Sydney: roses ordered from anywhere, made by a local florist
In 1910, florists across the United States began wiring out-of-town orders to each other: an order travelled by telegraph, and a local florist made the bouquet. Congratulations in Sydney still work the same way, since JFLOO assembles every bouquet to order once payment clears. What is left to choose is the rose, its colour, the number and how it is presented.
Congratulations flowers: why this section is built on roses
The whole section is roses, named two ways. Some bouquets are called by their stem count — 11, 17, 25, 51 and on to 101 — while others carry a name instead, among them Naomi, Elegance and Carousel.
Bush roses branch several blooms from one stem, as in 55 Mixed Bush Roses, and tall stems reach well above the usual length, as in 15 and 51 Tall Red Roses. A cut rose lasts about a week in a vase, sometimes close to ten days, so the choice is more about how the flowers will stand in the room than about longevity. The full range of rose bouquets is worth a look before deciding.
Most of the section is red, following the language of flowers that took shape in Victorian Britain: a red rose meant passionate love, pink a gentler feeling, white purity, yellow friendship. No single authoritative list ever existed, and Victorian dictionaries do not always agree, so none of it reads as a strict rule today.
Where red feels too personal, the section has mixes: Soft Mix softens the palette, Red and White pairs the two directly, and Carousel adds more colour still. In 25 Red Roses with Eucalyptus the roses carry the colour and the mass, and the eucalyptus works as greenery around them. If a shade is not in stock, the florist substitutes one close in colour and price, and the bouquet is photographed before the courier leaves.
How many roses, and wrapped, kraft or boxed
Every number in the section's names is odd — 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 25, 31, 35, 51, 55, 101. That follows a custom kept in Russia and most former Soviet countries, where an odd number goes to someone living and an even number is for remembrance. Outside that tradition a dozen is the usual choice.
- kraft paper wraps the stems in plain brown paper, as in 19 Red Roses in Kraft Paper;
- hand-tied wrap is the plain paper finish most bouquets come in;
- a box holds the stems upright, as in 15 Red Roses in Box No. 2;
- a bunch stays loose and unwrapped, as in the Bunch of 101 Red Roses.
A boxed bouquet stands in floral foam soaked with water instead of a vase. Watered daily over the whole exposed surface, the foam keeps the roses about as long as they would last in water, which suits an office or any desk with no vase to hand. Roses sit within the wider flower catalogue alongside the rest of the range.
The network covers 113 cities in 59 countries, and no account is needed: a name and a phone number for the recipient are enough to place an order. Without an exact address, the recipient's phone number alone is enough. The card is free and can carry a message or stay anonymous.
The recipient is not called ahead of delivery unless the sender asks for that. A photo of the finished bouquet goes out before the courier sets off, and there is still time at that point to ask for a small change. An office delivery needs the company name and the floor; a restaurant delivery is timed with the staff so the flowers arrive for the toast.
Payment is by Visa or Mastercard, and the total shown in the cart is final. Delivery in the city centre is free, most orders reach the recipient on the day they are placed, and the exact timing for a bouquet shows on its own card. Zones and details are on the delivery page.
For a first choice, red roses cover most congratulations without much deliberation, and the other occasions section is worth checking if the reason for sending flowers lies elsewhere.