Christmas flowers and plants, delivered in time

Christmas flowers sit in a different category from most gifts. They decorate a home for days, they often arrive while the family is busy, and the delivery window is shorter than people expect because so many florists shut on December 25. Get the plant and the date right and a poinsettia or a winter arrangement becomes part of the holiday. Get it wrong and it spends the night on a cold porch. Here is how to choose well and arrive on time.

What Americans traditionally send

Poinsettias

The poinsettia is the best-selling potted plant in the United States and the plant most people picture at Christmas. It is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US minister to Mexico, who brought the plant north in the 1820s; December 12 is marked as National Poinsettia Day. The colorful "petals" are actually bracts, modified leaves, and the tiny yellow flowers sit in the middle. Red is classic, but white, pink, marbled and speckled varieties are easy to find.

Winter arrangements and centerpieces

Arrangements built on evergreens such as pine, cedar and fir, mixed with red roses, white roses, carnations, red berries and pinecones, are the other staple. A low version works as a dining table centerpiece for Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner. Taller versions suit an entry table or a mantel.

Other holiday plants

• Amaryllis. Huge trumpet blooms on tall stems, sold as a bulb or already flowering. A good choice for someone who enjoys watching a plant open over a couple of weeks.
• Christmas cactus. Easy to keep and can bloom again in later years. A thoughtful pick for older relatives.
• Paperwhites. Fragrant white narcissus, often grown in a bowl of pebbles. The scent is strong, which some people love and others find too much.
• Small potted evergreens or rosemary trees. Popular for apartments and offices.

Who gets Christmas flowers

Hosts of Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner, parents and grandparents, relatives you will not see this year, neighbors, a child's teacher before winter break, and clients or coworkers before the office closes. Flowers also matter to people who find the season hard: someone who lost a spouse this year, a friend in the hospital, or an elderly relative in assisted living. For anyone grieving, a calm white arrangement and a gentle card often feel right; our sympathy flowers guide has more on tone.

Colors and themes

Not everyone on your list celebrates Christmas. For a mixed group, such as an office or a client, a winter arrangement without crosses, angels or Santa figures says "happy holidays" without assuming anything.

Plant or arrangement?

A plant lasts longer and needs a little care. A cut arrangement makes a bigger statement right away and needs only fresh water. Some guidance:

• For someone who travels over the holidays, a plant can usually handle a few days without attention better than cut flowers can.
• For a dinner host, a low arrangement that goes straight onto the table beats a plant that needs a saucer and a sunny window.
• For an office, a poinsettia or a small evergreen is easy to keep alive until the break.
• For older relatives, choose something light enough to move and simple to water.

Order early and deliver before Christmas Eve ends

December is one of the busiest months of the year for florists, with office parties, church decorations, holiday events and personal orders all landing at once. Ordering a week or more ahead gives the best choice. In the final days, popular designs sell out and substitutions become more common.

The most important timing fact: many florists are closed on December 25, and Christmas Eve hours are often shorter than normal. Plan for delivery on December 22 or 23, or early on the 24th at the latest. Same-day ordering on Christmas Eve is a gamble; if you try it, order in the morning and read our same-day cutoff guide first. If you miss the window, a delivery after the holiday with a card that says "a little extra Christmas" still lands well.

Delivery tips for winter

• Cold kills poinsettias. They are tropical plants and are damaged by cold air, even a short walk from the van in freezing weather. Ask that the plant not be left outside, and include the recipient's phone number so the driver can make contact.
• Check that someone is home. People travel at Christmas. A quick question such as "are you around on the 23rd?" avoids a delivery to an empty house.
• Offices close early. Many workplaces shut for the week between Christmas and New Year. Send business flowers by mid-December.
• Hospitals and care homes. Rules differ by unit, and some intensive care areas ban fresh flowers. Check before sending; our Florida hospital pages collect what each hospital says, and our get-well guide covers alternatives.
• Florida and the South. Warm, humid weather is the opposite risk. A plant left in a sunny entry or a hot car fades fast, so ask for delivery when someone is in.

Pets and holiday plants

December brings a pile of new plants into homes with curious cats and dogs. What the ASPCA plant database says about the common ones:

• Poinsettia: mildly irritating. The milky sap can cause drooling or an upset stomach, but its reputation as a deadly plant is overblown.
• Lilies: the real danger for cats. Winter white arrangements sometimes include them, so ask for a lily-free design if there is a cat in the house.
• Amaryllis, holly, mistletoe and paperwhites: all listed as toxic to cats and dogs. Keep them out of reach.
• Christmas cactus: listed as non-toxic, which makes it one of the safer holiday plants for a pet home.

Small children are a similar concern with berries. Most florist berries are decorative, not food.

Care tips to pass along

Poinsettias like bright indirect light, room temperature and soil that is watered when it feels dry, not soggy. Remove the decorative foil or poke a hole in it so water does not pool. Cut arrangements last longest with a fresh top-up of water every day and away from heating vents and fireplaces. Evergreens in an arrangement can dry out near a heater and become a fire risk next to candles.

What to avoid

1. Planning delivery for December 25.
2. A plant left outside on a freezing porch.
3. Strong religious imagery for recipients whose beliefs you do not know.
4. Lilies, amaryllis or mistletoe in a home with pets.
5. Very fragrant paperwhites for someone sensitive to scent.

Card message ideas

• "Merry Christmas to the best grandparents in the world. We will call during presents. Love, Ella and Max."
• "Sorry we cannot be there this year. Something red and green for your table."
• "Wishing you a peaceful holiday and a bright new year."
• "Thank you for a wonderful year working together. Happy holidays from the whole team."
• "Thinking of you this Christmas. You are not alone, we are just a phone call away."

More tones and examples are in our guide on what to write on the card. Planning ahead for the next big date? Our Valentine's Day flowers guide explains why February 14 needs even earlier ordering.