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Flowers for a boy in Vancouver: from a 'water vessel' hydrangea to peonies
Flowers for a boy in Vancouver can start with the grid's Hydrangea Bouquet No. 5, and its flower carries a name that is Greek for "water vessel". Linnaeus chose it in 1753 for the shape of the plant's seed capsules, not for how much it drinks, though hydrangea does in fact drink more than most cut flowers. Choosing a bouquet for a boy begins with the flower at its centre, and any extra gift is added in the basket afterwards.
Which bouquets in the grid suit a boy
The grid's core is built around a handful of named flowers: hydrangea in Bouquet No. 5, two peony bouquets ("Blues" and No. 3) and the Juliana Bush Rose Bouquet. It also includes the Gerbera and Misty Bubbles Bouquet, the Bouquet of Orchids and Roses "Esenny" and the Designer Bouquet "Delicate Cream".
Bouquets sold under names such as "Blue Field", "Dublin" and "Keni" do not spell out their flowers in the title. Their composition is worth checking on the bouquet's own card, or by asking the florist for a photo before paying.
Hydrangea needs more water than most cut flowers, and it takes in some of that water through its petals as well as its stem. A head that has started to droop is revived by lowering the whole flower into cool water for an hour or two, never for longer than four or five hours.
Gerbera is a greenhouse flower and stays on the shelf all year; it takes its name from the botanist Traugott Gerber, who lived from 1710 to 1743.
Peony is seasonal. Growers in the Netherlands, France, Germany and the UK cut it from late April to June, while Chile's season runs from October to December. Storage stretches the European season further, close to year-round but not quite, and the peonies section shows what is currently in stock.
When a card has no peonies left to sell, the florist substitutes a flower close to it in shade and price, and that substitution shows up on the photo sent before delivery.
A teddy bear, a balloon or sweets with the bouquet
A balloon, a box of sweets, a small toy or a vase can all be added to a bouquet in the basket, and a card with a written message costs nothing extra; the full list sits under gifts to go with bouquets.
The teddy bear itself takes its name from Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, after a hunting trip in November 1902 and a cartoon by Clifford Berryman that ran in The Washington Post. The German toymaker Steiff released its own bear that same year.
Flower delivery for a boy in Vancouver as a surprise
The recipient is not called ahead of a delivery unless the sender asks for it; the one exception is a building the courier cannot enter without being let in first.
A card can carry a signed message or stay anonymous, since the courier is given only a name and an address, nothing about who sent the flowers or why.
A photo of the finished bouquet is sent before the courier sets off, and there is still time at that point to ask for a fix if something looks wrong.
Most orders are handed over on the day they are placed, and the exact timing for any bouquet is shown on its own card. An order can also be booked for a chosen date and time, and the earlier it is placed, the more slots there are to pick from. Delivery in the city centre costs nothing, and zones and details sit on the delivery page.
Choosing where to start is easier from the flowers for loved ones section: peonies suit a spring birthday, hydrangea suits most other days, and a card or a small gift can be added from the basket along the way.