Easter flowers for spring tables and family

Easter comes right as spring flowers hit their stride, so it is one of the easiest holidays to send something beautiful for. Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and the white Easter lily all peak around this time. The challenges are the moving date, the fact that Easter is always a Sunday, and one popular plant that is genuinely dangerous for cats. Here is what to know before you order.

When Easter falls

Easter has no fixed date. In Western churches, which most American Protestants and Catholics follow, Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox, using a church calculation that fixes the equinox at March 21. In practice, that puts Easter anywhere from March 22 to April 25. Orthodox Christians use a different calendar, so Orthodox Easter often falls a week or more later. If you are sending to a Greek, Russian, Serbian or other Orthodox family, check their date. The countdown at the top of this page shows the Western date.

Who gets Easter flowers

• The Easter dinner or brunch host. A spring centerpiece sent the day before is the most common Easter flower gift.
• Mothers and grandmothers. Easter is a family holiday, and for many households it is the big spring get-together.
• Relatives you cannot visit. A potted plant that keeps blooming after the holiday is a nice stand-in for a visit.
• Your church. Many congregations invite members to give lilies or flowers for the altar, often in memory of a loved one. Ask the church office how they handle it; most collect orders weeks ahead and set their own deadline.
• Neighbors, teachers and coworkers. A small pot of tulips or daffodils is a friendly spring hello.

Traditional Easter flowers

Colors for spring

Easter is the pastel holiday: soft yellow, lavender, blush pink, pale blue, mint and white. White and yellow together read as most traditional and fit church settings. A mix of pastels feels playful and works well for a family brunch with kids. If the person decorates in strong colors, a bright bunch of yellow and purple, such as daffodils with grape hyacinths or iris, is still clearly spring.

Centerpiece, bouquet or potted plant?

Centerpieces

For a host, a low centerpiece is the most useful gift. Ask for something under eye level so guests can see each other across the table. Some florists build Easter designs in baskets, which suit the holiday without needing plastic eggs or bunnies.

Potted plants

Potted spring bulbs, such as tulips, hyacinths and daffodils, and potted lilies are very popular at Easter because they last. Many bulbs can be planted outside after blooming, which gives a gardener a gift that comes back. Potted lilies need a careful look at the household first; see the pet section below.

Bouquets

A hand-tied bouquet of tulips is simple, fresh and loved by almost everyone. It is a good pick for a friend or a mother who enjoys arranging flowers herself.

Timing around a Sunday holiday

Easter is always on a Sunday, and many local florists do not deliver on Sundays at all, or only in limited areas. That changes the plan:

• Aim for Saturday delivery, or Friday if the host is busy cooking or traveling on Saturday. Flowers delivered a day or two early are at their best for the meal.
• Order several days ahead. Easter week is busy, with church decorations, brunch events and family orders all landing together. The best spring flowers go first.
• Same-day ordering on Saturday can work if you order early in the morning, but choices narrow. Our same-day cutoff guide explains how late is too late.
• Holy Week and school breaks. Some families travel the week before Easter, so check that someone will be home.
• Include a phone number. A driver who can call is far less likely to leave a box in the sun.

Pets: the Easter lily problem

This is the single most important safety point for spring flowers. Easter lilies, along with other true lilies and daylilies, are highly toxic to cats. Small amounts of any part of the plant, including pollen brushed off on fur and the water in the vase, can cause kidney failure. Veterinarians see these cases every spring. If the recipient has a cat, or even often hosts one, choose a lily-free arrangement or a different potted plant.

Other spring flowers deserve care too. Tulip, hyacinth and daffodil bulbs are toxic to pets, with the bulb the most concentrated part, and azaleas are listed as toxic to cats and dogs. The ASPCA plant database covers all of these. For a pet household, gerbera daisies, roses, orchids and snapdragons are safer bets.

What to avoid

1. Lilies, potted or cut, in any home with a cat.
2. Counting on Sunday delivery.
3. Heavily scented hyacinths or lilies right next to the food.
4. Assuming an Orthodox family celebrates on the Western date.
5. Waiting for the church deadline to pass if you want flowers on the altar.

Card message ideas

• "Happy Easter! Thank you for hosting us all again this year."
• "Wishing you a joyful Easter and a spring full of good things."
• "Sorry we cannot make brunch. Save us a deviled egg. Love, the Garcias."
• "He is risen. Thinking of you this Easter morning."
• "For Grandma, the best egg hunt organizer in the family."

Religious wording is lovely for a churchgoing family and a little odd for a coworker. When in doubt, "Happy Easter" or "Happy spring" fits everyone. Our guide to writing the card has more examples. Next on the calendar after Easter is Mother's Day, the second Sunday in May, which needs even more planning.